The god who would be King
I do not own any film in the Marvel franchise.
Chapter one-Prologue
The doors were tall, thick, and seemingly impassable, but they had opened in moments. The interior set of doors, which led to the actual dungeons, was guarded by a pair of Asgardian warriors. In seconds, they lay on the floor.
The woman immediately ran down the long hall, racing past windows of cells that held unsavory characters, few who paid her any notice. Heart pounding in her ears, she clutched tightly at the staff in her hands as she headed for her destination.
A guard stepped out from around a corner, and saw the woman, then noticed the staff she held. He raised his weapon, but not fast enough. His surprise at seeing anyone here at this time, and unauthorized to boot, was his undoing. He fell to the floor, enveloped in a green energy field.
Finally reaching the cell she'd been heading for, she cried out to its lone occupant. "Loki, stand aside!" She pointed the staff at the glass, and watched as a green flame of energy left the tip of the staff, and wound its way through the barrier, eating at it until it left a large hole.
Loki gingerly stepped through the opening, and went over to the woman. When she held out the staff to him, he took it, feeling its heft in his hands. He shifted it to one hand, cupped her right cheek and leaned down to kiss her. "You came."
"I told you I would be here as soon as I could get away." She started to leave, expecting Loki to stay with her. Instead, she felt a restraining hand on her arm.
"Sarah, wait. Did you have much difficulty?" He had hoped she would not have to face any emotional difficulties that would mar her usefulness.
"I followed your instructions to the letter. But..." She lowered her head.
Loki placed a finger beneath her chin, lifting her face up. He peered into her green eyes. "But?"
"There were three guards. I had to...I had to kill them." One had been her friend, the guard responsible for her when she visited. But it had to be done.
Loki smiled gently. "It was necessary. Sometimes it can't be helped. You did fine."
Sarah smiled. She continued to explain everything she had done to facilitate his escape. "As soon as I had the chance, I went to your rooms and found the staff. With all the celebrations going on, it was pretty quiet. I have two horses waiting. We'll be across the bridge and at the Bifrost before anyone knows we're gone."
"And what about Heimdall?" Heimdall was the only one who could end this journey before it had even begun.
"I convinced the Gatekeeper not to interfere. He won't help us, but he won't stop us."
Even Loki was impressed, and curious how a mere mortal could convince the Guardian of the Bifrost to let a human leave, along with Asgard's number one criminal.
As if reading his mind, Sarah said, "I think he feels he's doing Asgard a favor. Everyone will be a lot happier seeing the back of you."
"And my brother..." Loki spat. "Where is Thor?"
"Your brother and Jane are at their wedding reception, along with all their friends and your father."
"So that's what everyone is celebrating today."
"Yes, the wedding and coronation. Lots of ceremony and feasting," Sarah replied.
Loki should have felt anger, but instead, a tightness filled his chest. Again, he was left out of something that, as a so-called family member, he should have been included. "First, I was forbidden to attend Mother's funereal tribute, and now my dear brother's nuptials and crowning. I hope he makes a suitable king to Asgard," he said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"Actually, your brother wanted you there," she persisted, regardless of how many times Loki had told her that Thor was not his brother. "But Odin had already forbidden your presence during both the wedding and the coronation. I snuck out when the celebrations got going. Your people really know how to party. By the time they notice you've escaped, it will be too late."
"And escape we shall, my dear." He took Sarah by the hand, and led her outside the prison. Thankfully, they had not run into any guards, but Loki had been ready to kill anyone who got in their way.
The pair mounted the horses that Sarah had hidden near some trees. Thankfully, they were still there. The streets were quiet. It was as if the entire populace had been invited to the wedding banquet.
Riding hard across the now restored Rainbow Bridge, they dismounted once they had reached the portal chamber. They strode inside to find the Gatekeeper waiting.
"I am sworn to obey my king, Sarah of Midgard. Keep your promise, and make sure that one does not return." Heimdall glared at Loki as if he wanted to tear him apart.
Loki was used to such looks from practically everyone, and felt no intimidation. He merely gave the Gatekeeper a smirk as he passed him.
"By the way, where are we going?" Loki inquired.
Sarah turned to him just as the portal opened. "Earth," she replied with a smile.
"Earth!" He felt himself being sucked into the portal before he could protest.
They materialized in a park. Sarah had explained to Heimdall that secrecy was important. Humans didn't transport all around the galaxy every day. It was better that they not be seen.
Once through the portal, Sarah landed on her back hard. "Oooof...crap, that hurt!" She looked up to see Loki standing over her. When he reached down with a hand, she grabbed it, letting him pull her up. "How do you manage to land, and stay on your feet?"
He grinned at her. "It takes a lot of practice."
Sarah looked down at the ground beneath them, observing the pattern that the transport beam created. She wondered how long it would remain. "We're home," she whispered. Impulsively, she hugged her companion. Pulling back, she noticed he had donned his suit of armor. It was nothing like what one would expect of armor, but according to Thor, it was bullet-proof. "Why are you wearing the armor? Did you expect we'd be shot at?" She smiled at him, saying, "You're so cute."
He looked down at her, confused, a slight frown on his face,. There would always be things he didn't understand about mortals. What have I gotten myself into, he wondered.
Leading Loki out of the park before anyone could connect the beam to them, for surely someone had seen it, the pair headed for Sarah's apartment. The beauty of San Francisco was that most everything was within an easy distance by bus or trolley. But her place wasn't far from the park where they had landed.
Opening the door with the key she had been carefully keeping safe during her time in Asgard, she stood in the middle of her living room. Raising her arms in the air and spinning around, she cried joyfully, "I'm home." Asgard may be a beautiful place, but it was not home.
Loki tolerantly observed the mortal, walking around her slowly as he enjoyed her apparent happiness at being back on her home world. "So what is your plan?" he asked, as he ran his fingers over her things. It wasn't up to his usual standards, which had dropped some since his last imprisonment. But he was free.
Sarah fell onto her couch, and tucked her feet beneath her. When Loki sat next to her, she began, "I figure, if you do anything that tops the news, the Avengers will contact Thor, and together, they'll take you out, plain and simple. But...if we work under the radar, so to speak, no one will even know you're here."
"And what do I do in the interim, get a job?"
Sarah laughed lightly. "Of course not! Despite what happened between you and your family, you're still a prince of Asgard. You're destined for greater things than working for a living. I believe that whole-heartedly."
Loki liked the way this woman thought, one reason he placed his fate in her hands, for the time being.
"So, how do we accomplish that? You know your world better than I."
Sarah rose from the couch, and headed for her bedroom. She liked the leather-wear that the Lady Sif had given her, but now she wanted to be back in her favorite jeans. While she changed her clothing, she kept talking to a waiting Loki.
Once she finished changing her clothes, Sarah returned to find Loki standing at the picture window in her living room. He was staring out at San Francisco. Silently, she went to stand at his side.
"Such people who make up this world of yours. They run around like creeter bugs on a hot rock, living with absolutely no focus. I could have given them that," he said.
Sarah looked out at the city below, her favorite place in the entire world. "They never would have accepted you, Loki," she said softly.
He turned to look at her. "I know." So much had happened to him since his world had been turned upside down. First, to find out he wasn't even Asgardian but a Frost Giant, then being involved in the short-lived war on Earth, his desires fed by the promises of Thanos and his servants. The so-called scepter kept him in thrall, until he was defeated at the hands of Thor and his fellow Avengers.
Imprisoned back on Asgard, his brother had later asked him to assist in fighting the Dark Elves, an easy response since Loki wanted nothing more than to destroy the creature who had killed his mother. So he had been freed to fight the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith. But Loki found a chance and took it. He surprisingly found his death had not taken, his body healing itself instead. When a scout ship had arrived on Svartalfheim, in order to return to Asgard, Loki took out one of the soldiers and shifted into his form. Once there, he managed to trick Odin the king, and jailed him in the same dungeon he had sent his "son". Only a few loyal guards knew that the man who sat on the throne was not Odin. But the ruse lasted a short time before being discovered by a suspicious Heimdall, who informed Thor. Loki once again, found himself in prison. Surprisingly, Odin had not ordered his execution. This time his mother was not there to make things comfortable.
His mother. Once, he had denied her, telling her she was not his mother. He instantly regretted his words and reached out to her. But the pain showed in her eyes, and she released her illusionary form from Loki's cell. He had not meant to hurt her, but the words left his mouth before he could stop them. And he'd never had the chance to apologise to her and tell her how much she meant to him, before she was murdered. I really did love you, Mother.
And then he met Sarah Martin. An earlier meeting that neither ever thought would lead to another later on. He now had a chance at a new life. "So what do we do?"
"We have to make plans. First, we need to make a lot of money. Then, we recruit allies. Businessmen, politicians. Anyone who will work for us with the promise of rich reward."
"Like more money?" Loki was used to dazzling people with his charm, or imposing his will on them. That was simple. Bribery wasn't something he had considered. If the result was the same, who was he to quibble about how he obtained his goals.
"Exactly. Money, power. People here will do anything for that. You'll take over everything, and work the system from behind the scenes. Eventually, nothing will happen on this planet that doesn't have your fingerprint on it. You'll be...like a puppet master, pulling all the strings." She sat back on the couch, joined by Loki. "Before the Avengers figure out what's going on, if they take notice, it'll be too late to undo what we've done. Believe me, not every businessman is as righteous as Tony Stark. I'll contact a few of my sponsors, just to feel them out first. I even know this one senator who believed in and supported my work. You know, poor Jane had no such sponsorship, even with the fantastic discoveries she had made. No one believed in the vision of that bridge of yours. She had to make do with what she could scrape up." Sarah felt bad that she had turned on Jane, but she would make it up to her someday.
Loki smirked as he gave Sarah a look, one she caught.
"Don't do that."
"Do what?" he asked, confused.
"Smile like that. It makes me think you're plotting."
"Not against you, my heart." His smile was warmer this time. His hand slipped up her arm to rest on her shoulder. "It seems time could be put to better use, now that we're here." He placed his hand on the back of her neck, pulling her close.
Sarah gasped. Loki's warm breath blended with hers as he kissed her, lightly at first, then deeper. Sarah knew Jane would be disappointed in her. Thor would be furious. But Loki had both charm and a heart. At first, she had thought him broken, unredeemable. Later, her views changed. The more she had spoken with Loki, the more she felt he just needed to be trusted, loved and needed. His grief and pain became more apparent in their talks. Sarah found she had fallen for him in a big way. But had he developed any feelings for her? That one-sided relationship scared her most of all.
But Loki did care. He had been so busy blaming everyone for his current imprisonment, that he found the mortal woman to be an irritant at first. Later, he found her visits diverting. Life in a cell could be interminable, a virtual death sentence. It wasn't just that he was alone, he was lonely. Yet his pride would never verbally admit that he felt hurt that Thor had never paid him a single visit in all the time since he had been tried for locking away Odin, and deceiving everyone in his latest bid for the throne of Asgard. Sarah had said that he, Loki, was alive due to Thor's pleadings with the Alfather. So why had he not come to see his brother for whom he had risked the Alfather's wrath.
Sarah's lips brought him back. It was pleasant to be able to touch someone again. He pulled away to look into her eyes. He was surprised when she laughed.
"I'm sorry," she said, seeing disappointment in his eyes. "It's just that I've never kissed a god before."
He now smiled. "I thought you didn't believe I was a god."
"Ok, so I've never kissed an alien before either."
Loki gave her an impulsive hug, inhaling the fresh scent of the woman in his arms. Perhaps he could make a new life on Midgard, and put Asgard behind him once and for all.
Author's note:
I found myself recently drawn to the Thor/Avengers films. And it was Loki who drew me into a new writing obsession. I hope this isn't viewed as a Mary Sue (what woman doesn't want Loki?), as Sarah will have flaws, and the relationship won't be perfect. Next chapter will show how Loki and Sarah met, and what brought them together. Enjoy! Rating is T for now.
Also, I would like this story to be a success and do justice to my latest favourite anti-hero, Loki. So if anyone has anything they'd like to see in the story, please let me know. I have used readers' ideas for other stories in the past, if they fit well that is. So please share your ideas. And thanks!