Lyanne scrunched her eyes and breathed deeply as Loki clutched her hand tightly, mere seconds before he teleported them both to their new destination. The first thing she noticed was the ground beneath their feet – it felt soft and pliant, even through her worn-out shoes. When she opened her eyes, the purple haze of the gem's expended power slowly drifting away, Lyanne discovered to her delight that the entire landscape was unfathomably beautiful. Lush green trees and shrubs surrounded them, verdant emerald grass sprawling out like a luxurious carpet through the foliage and beyond. Some familiar fruits and flowers, though hundreds more unfamiliar, grew abundant and everywhere alongside each other in a flawless landscape of colors and beauty. The trees were so thick overhead that they nearly blotted out the sun, but everything beneath their canopy still grew unimpeded and oddly perfect. Lyanne let a soft moan escape her lips, lost utterly in delight and admiration, while Loki silently glanced around them in calculation. When he looked back to her with a somewhat bored expression, it was to his surprise to find her nearly in tears.
"What's the matter with you?" he asked, somewhat harshly.
Lyanne looked back in embarrassment, wiping her eyes on her arms quickly.
"I just... haven't seen anything so beautiful in such a long, long time."
Loki recalled with chagrin that she hadn't had the same luxurious upbringing as he – tainted though his life had been, growing in the shadows of his brother and father, he had still lived in a palace and wanted for nothing... save affection and recognition. Lyanne had been homeless for the past few years, and even before then it couldn't have been pleasant moving every few months, living in strangers' homes, not having seen her family in over a decade. He reached out to delicately take her hand in his own and she smiled, blushing.
"Sorry," she nearly whispered. "I can be a real softie sometimes."
Loki brought her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly, his touch warming Lyanne from the inside out as always. She threw herself into his arms and embraced him tightly, resting her head on his chest, listening for his heartbeat. It was difficult to hear beneath his armor, but she believed she could hear it faintly from within.
"I love you," she said. Loki was slightly taken aback at her sudden emotion.
"I love you too," he somewhat mumbled, removing her from him gently.
She gave him a look of hurt, but he shook his head and explained, "We need to keep a clear focus. This man is a dangerous one – older than most in existence and incredibly crafty, not to mention he likely has the gem of time in his possession. We must stay focused."
Lyanne brushed herself off and put a stern face on, clearing her mind. She nodded and changed her form to that of her mutation, Loki placing his horned helmet upon his head and readying his spear. Delicately, the stepped out from behind the shrubbery to search for the Gardener.
They didn't need to look very long.
A powerful blow knocked Loki away and into a thick shrub with thorns, tearing at the small amount of his skin still exposed and drawing blood. He heard Lyanne shriek, then the sound cut off immediately, followed by a horrible gasping, choking sound. He leaped up to see her being strangled by several thick, thorned vines, her claws scratching desperately at them as they constricted tighter around her neck. Another powerful object whizzed through the trees, or rather from the trees, as a large branch swung by Loki's face, missing him by less than an inch. He swung his spear at the branch, but made only a superficial gash along it's bark as it slipped past him. He reached for his dagger at his belt and jumped over to Lyanne, cutting through the vines with some effort. She collapsed on the ground, wheezing, but motioned for him to ignore her. As he looked up, another branch was aiming directly for them, but he formed a shield around them quickly enough for it to merely smack into the magic barrier.
"ENOUGH!" Loki yelled, and the shifting trees and vines suddenly quieted and lay as still as when the two of them had just arrived moments before. "Come out of hiding and face me, Gardener!"
Lyanne righted herself, hands still clutching at her throat, scanning the area around them for more movement. After a few seconds, an elderly, gray-haired and bearded man in a long golden robe slipped out from between the trees and faced them, a wooden staff in his hand. He did not use the stick to lean on, however, instead choosing to hold it tightly and protectively across his chest. He was healthy and sturdy despite his great age, and Lyanne supposed the staff was more for elegance or as a scepter – there was even a bright orange jewel attached to the head...
"Loki!" she whispered urgently.
He nodded curtly, responding softly, "I see it, too."
"I knew you would come, Trickster," he spoke in a deep, slow voice.
"Then you know why I'm here," Loki said softly.
"Yes. But I cannot allow you to have what you came here for."
"Then I shall just have to take it."
"You can try – even without your gems you would be a formidable opponent. But my gem is greater by far than yours. Especially since you cannot possibly use more than one at a time."
"Speaking of time, yours is over. You speak boldly of the power your stone contains, but you will never use it for violence – you're bluffing."
So is Loki, Lyanne thought, remembering with disappointment that Thanos had claimed two of the stones from them.
The Gardener seemed slightly annoyed, but remained calm.
"No one bothers me here because they know the power I hold and the abilities I possess while I have it. I would destroy any who would come to abuse the stone's power. Even Odin does not trouble me here. "
Loki was alarmed at his mention of Odin – was he merely bluffing again, or did Odin truly know that the Gardener had the Time gem in his possession for centuries all along? Loki had just assumed that once Odin had discovered the Infinity stones were being searched for, he had hidden them away to those he trusted. If what the Gardener said was true, and the gem Odin had had was a purposeful fake, how many of the others were merely decoys?
"I thought it had been relinquished to Allfather long ago."
"That was the Allfather's wish. Your discovery of where this one truly lies is... unpleasant. I don't suppose you would tell me how you found out?"
"I grew up with the stories as a child – the Elders, your split from them, your banishment from Death's realm, your infamous oath not to use the gem for violence... I've heard and read them all."
"They are only stories."
"All stories have an element of truth to them," Loki argued. "Now I am losing patience – give me the gem, or be destroyed."
Lyanne tensed beside him – though she was aware of his malevolent nature, she wasn't sure if he really would kill this man. After all they had been through with each other, she hadn't seem him kill anyone – if he really had the urge to murder, she reasoned, he would likely have done so in the months they had been together. Not to mention the fact that Death despised the Gardener so much that apparently she would not allow him to die and be spirited away to her realm. It was unlikely she would let him die now, even if it meant a gem for Loki, and therefore Thanos. Lyanne let the worry slip away from her and readied herself. She nodded to Loki, signaling that she was prepared. He gave the barest hint of recognition, but kept his focus on his enemy, holding his dagger delicately.
Suddenly the shield was down and Loki teleported behind the Gardener, slitting his throat in one quick, red gash.
Lyanne's mouth opened in silent horror as the body crumpled at Loki's feet, the staff rolling on the ground towards her.
"Grab it," Loki commanded calmly, cleaning his blade on the robe of the fallen old man.
Lyanne was frozen. She couldn't move, blink, breathe, or think. She didn't believe that Loki would actually kill him. He stared at her with increasing annoyance; Lyanne could sense it like a black storm cloud building within him.
"Grab. It." he commanded again.
Lyanne did as she was told, using all her energy to focus and snatch up the staff. As soon as she did, the incredible foliage around them began to shrivel and collapse, most turning to dust or simply withering away to black, shapeless masses. She barely felt Loki grasp her close as they teleported once more, Lyanne's last look being the Gardener's shriveling body and the land turning to ashes and dust around him.
When they landed back on what she assumed was Earth, Loki dropped her in an instant and sat down on a nearby rock by a river to admire his new trophy. He snapped the gem from its setting and tossed the empty staff into the river, where it floated down and away with the current. His eyebrows were knit in concentration as he grasped the stone tightly, and before them a small tree shoot grew an inch, two, ten and suddenly several feet until it reached the height of its surrounding brothers and there it stopped. Or rather, where Loki stopped. He did not want to tire himself too quickly. He smirked and pocketed the stone while Lyanne, back in her human form, wrapped her arms about her knees protectively and watched him in shock. He noticed her distress and the smirk slid away from his face. He knew what this was about.
"You said you knew what you were getting into," he said quietly.
She shook her head against her knees.
"YOU SAID YOU KNEW!" he shouted, his face growing red and spit flying from his mouth.
"I thought I knew," she sobbed.
He roared in anger and threw a blast of magic out from him, severing the tree he had just grown in one slice. It fell with a large crash away from them, where Loki set it on fire in his rage and burned it so quick and hot Lyanne had to scuttle away to avoid being singed. When the tree had turned to cinders and his rage had cooled, Loki turned back to Lyanne in exhaustion. She was half-hiding behind a boulder, shaking and terrified. When she looked back to him, she saw with surprise that there was sadness etched onto his face. He approached her slowly, standing above her while she trembled. He held his hand out and it was a moment before she took it warily, still not looking him in the eye. She felt his fingers grasp her under the chin, lifting her face to look at him forcefully, but not hurtfully. She raised her eyes to meet his, his eyes turning from sapphire to near-green in the shifting, fading light. He ran his long fingers smoothly up her bare arms, resting them on her shoulders as he spoke softly.
"I cannot have you hate or fear me, Lyanne. I suppose now that of course my actions would come at a bit of a shock – but you did promise me anything."
She nodded, looking back down again and focusing on the pattern of the armor on his chest.
"I know I did, I just... didn't expect it. I've never seen someone die before."
"Are you scared of me?" he asked bluntly. She looked back up to meet his eyes once more. They were full of concern, and she supposed maybe a little contempt. It must be hard for Loki to deal with one whose regard for life was less flippant.
"A little," she admitted, whispering.
"You kept your promise to me," he said, leaning in closer. "You can trust that I will keep mine to you."
She smiled sadly and he kissed her.
"I will never hurt you," he whispered in her ear.
"I know," she said, resting her head against his chest and embracing him tightly, still trembling.