Summary: The war between Jotunheim and Asgard draws to a close, but thanks to a horrible twist of Fate (or perhaps not), the nameless runt of Laufey-King is not discovered by Odin and so begins a remarkable journey of life that should not have been. Jotun!Loki AU. Set pre-/during-/after Thor/Avengers Assemble. MCU-verse only.
Warnings: ANGST! Loki-whump! Language, adult situations, violence, child abuse, dub-con, sexual assault (also of a minor), substance abuse, one abortion scene (sort of), slavery, sex trade (maybe), some mild original character/Loki M/M pairings.
Comments: This is not a slash fic. Sorry. It's Loki-centric, although I definitely show the rest of the Avengers and etc. Please review! Constructive criticism welcome.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers. Marvel owns it. I do not get paid for this piece of work. Sadly, but understandably. LOL.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm woozy with happiness. As it were. :D To: DragonsFlame117 (yes, everything is planned!), wbss21 (love your perception), Immortal Sailor Cosmos (SOON), Double-Gemini (revel in these -sorta- happy days), alchino (BAMF!Loki up ahead! I think...)
Don't be afeerd to chat! I appreciate concrit and Loki/Tom Hiddleston-related ranting! Yep! And for those who reviewed Chapter 16 so nicely - there's this shout out! Thanks a ton! http COLON SLASH SLASH kakashidiot DOT tumblr DOT com SLASH post SLASH 52549187447 SLASH in-the-end-there-was-no-problem
ALSO... at this point in time, Thor is about 16/17 years old Earth equivalent and Loki is about 14/15. Still YOUNG!
Distortions In Time
[Bitter Desolation, Incandescent Harmony]
Chapter 18
Against all Odds
... you should not have come...
Niflheim is a mysterious Realm and one of the lowest, hanging as it does by the roots of Yggdrasil itself. Long ago, before Time was measured by any being, tales tell of how this ancient Realm spawned life out of primordial darkness combined with the fires of Muspelheim and the magic of Asgard. So they say – and so it remains – an empty, dead place – cold and remote.
But even more mysterious and cold and remote and dreaded is the haunted realm of Helheim. Stretching over most of it lies the ever increasing Kingdom of the Dead itself. Ruled by Hela, Goddess of the Underworld, each of her feet planted within the realms of the Living and the Dead, she reigns even now, a dichotomous being and a paradox besides.
[... if you believe such things...]
[... the Afterlife...]
[... but Jotunheim stands apart, they say, even in death...]
Cold, flat, grey and icy, Helheim lay silent – until the sky burst aflame with golden light and a scorching beam cast down the youthful Crown Prince Thor, The Warriors Three and Sif. For a few moments, Helheim drew breath as the magic of Asgard's weight fell on its land. There was a crackling, a shuddering of ice, and far away deep within her halls, Hela woke.
Exhale.
[... Death woke? No...]
[... the right hand of Death rules Valhalla...]
[... and on her left stands Hela...]
[... She has many lovers, but Death has no home...]
"We should not have come," Hogun muttered to the group at large as they stood back to back roughly in a circle, gripping their various weapons a good day later. His breath puffed out on a small cloud, warm air hitting the ever-frostiness of Helheim, the Realm of Mists.
"You always say that," Thor laughed, hefting Mjolnir more securely as he eyed the horde of undead who now surrounded them. "And yet, here we are – again!"
"I keep hoping that perhaps next time would be different," the stoic warrior replied, swinging his small battle mace experimentally.
"I thought you had more sense than that," Fandrall quipped with a light chuckle. "As useless as getting Volstagg here to change his diet!"
"Hey! I resent that!" Volstagg huffed. "Speaking of which, anyone have any of that smoked venison? I'm feeling rather... peckish."
Sif rolled her eyes at the unsuccessful attempt at battle humour. This situation, she sighed, tossing her long, dark hair over her shoulder, is well out of hand. Again. Hogun's question is a valid one – and I don't see how we are to get out of this one unless All-Father were to aid us. Thor may have outdone himself this time. The dark-eyed warrior girl swung her sword and raised her buckler again.
"An army of the dead, Thor. Really?"
"An army that does not die," Thor laughed then, blue eyes sparkling with the fervour of battle. His laughter rang free and wild, a golden thing in a world of monochrome, jarring and alien – but to his friends, comforting. "How can one resist?"
"Let me consider that a moment," Fandral replied. Paused. "My answer is... fairly easily a 'no'."
"How long have we been fighting already?" huffed Volstagg uneasily. "I would say two days already – but time here seems rather slippery."
"An even better question is how much longer must we fight?" Hogun added, turning slightly to glare at Thor's broad back.
... forever...
The dark-haired warrior glanced about uneasily and shifted from foot to foot. He could almost here it – the soul-leeching soul of the place. Haunting, lonely and dire.
"We. Should. Not. Be. Here. Thor," he repeated with a bit more force now. "We must go! Can you not hear it? Feel it?"
"But I have just begun –"
"Thor –"
The mass of rotting skeletal guards who had herded about them surged forward, cutting off Sif's remonstrance as they blindly grasped at her – hands and breath cold and damp. They wielded crusted swords, somehow still sharp, dragged from the barrows of the dead. Ancient and oft-times magical things, cursed for protection and coveted by dragons. These were the armies of Hela who protected her borders with a vengeance – and, of course, Thor saw them as a chance to prove his mettle.
Instead of attending an important court function with the All-Father, Thor had decided to ride out with his friends in search of a new adventure like never before. He was young – and it would be many years before he came of age, but Thor was not to be gainsaid. Of course, his friends banded round. There had been a small matter of enlisting a magician's apprentice in order to deceive Heimdall – and then they were on their way. As the Gatekeeper activated the Bifrost (happily unaware that Odin's signature had been falsified), Thor had promised his friends a grand chance to hone their skill with an enemy like no other.
Hone our skills, yes, Sif thought as she brought down her sword, cleaving a guard in two through the skull – and then watching with annoyance as it gathered itself up and staggered forward yet again, it's gaping, decaying maw hanging wide open in a gruesome imitation of a smile. Enemy like no other? She cocked her head and considered the situation. He wasn't lying there either. However, I would like to survive, so I may enjoy my new-found – here, she kicked two guards off and hacked at another in the back – skills, and tell the tale myself in Odin's Hall.
Mjolnir, she noticed was whirring around their perimeter, smashing heads and decimating legs, before returning to its owner's hand. Whirling it round and round, Thor called a storm and brought lightning splintering down with laughter ringing out.
And still the Horde came.
Hogun had long since abandoned his bow, mace and throwing axes and was now using a short broadsword to keep the guards at bay, while Fandral's swift sword neatly hacked at the legs of the undead in a vain attempt to cripple their movements. Volstagg, growling and grunting like a savage boar, rammed through twirling his current weapon of choice – a long-hafted blade.
And still the Horde came.
... you are mine...
Hogun flinched – and he was about to say, we should go, when a golden light engulfed them and the fighting youths were pulled from the Land of Mist and the Kingdom of the Dead.
... but not today...
When the stream of the Bifrost cleared and the group of truants looked up, expecting to see the stern face of Heimdall, everyone froze at the sight of the Imperial Guard. Everyone froze and fell silent at the sight of the two august personages of the sovereigns of Asgard themselves – a furious Odin and a very worried-looking Frigga. Everyone froze – except Thor. Bounding forward with no less enthusiasm than he had displayed on Helheim, the usual excitement he showed (like that of an untamed colt, Volstagg thought, or a young pup), Thor grinned at his parents with pride.
"Father! Mother! This is a surprise! Did you see what I did, Father? I took on fifty –"
"THHHHOOOORRR!"
Odin's roar echoed out from the Observatory, down the Rainbow Bridge and all the way to Asgard's inner gates.
Ah. Yes.
Another day in Asgard.
-0-0-0-
[... the spirits of Utanheim are restless...]
[... they stir the heavens...]
The ulfrbarn's warnings earlier that week had fallen on deaf ears – but when several ominous cracks of lightning hurled themselves at the mountain tops, many of the Jotunn looked at each other in apprehension and began to prepare in earnest for the worst. Some even began to leave their homes, trudging away from the small town toward the nearest city of Vatnboer. When a distant cracking and creaking sound echoed across the valley, the Jotunn farmers grabbed their younglings and their always ready packs which were prepared specifically for emergencies such as these – and fled. They discovered that the miners were already beating a hasty retreat down the wide valley – as well as several Dark Elves and Dwarves who had made the mistake of arriving in their favoured dales two sun cycles earlier.
A short time later, when the cracking and creaking sound grew, crashing and smashing through the jarnvithr trees which sparsely decorated the mountains, the Jotunn realized with dread that perhaps – perhaps – perhaps the vaetki had been right and perhaps it was too late. Small younglings wailed and wolves howled and all manner of living creature, they could see, were already up ahead, scampering over the wastes westwards toward the Jathar Skogr. Older Jotunn children were hefted up by their parents and thrown clumsily over their backs. Behind, the avalanche grew in power, thundering down the sides of the Offaerfjall Mountains.
FWOOM. The avalanche, now as wide as the village, hit the ground – and a large cloud of powdery white snow rose into the air, blotting out the lower northern sky as though a large wave was to engulf them all. Several of the younger Jotunn who were watching over their parents' shoulders shouted with horror as the mine shaft entrance was buried and the further upland, sturdy jarnvithr and stone homes were swamped by the swells of white. Loose stones from poorer constructed dwellings flew in every direction and the ground shook as the ice began to crack and ripple under the combined pressure – the ice sheets below their feet cracked – swelled – and then as they shifted – froze.
The avalanche now spent itself on the hills and dales, creating huge mounds of snow across the wide landscape – and beneath their feet, the shuddering ice slowly stilled. Far in the distance, further rumblings spoke of smaller snow-floods, but as if in response, the ice underneath their feet only grew thicker in resistance. It was then that the Elder Skyne drew back uncertainly at a surprising sight before them. The sight of an unwelcome, yet familiar figure hunched over, small hands flat on the ground. Green wisps emanated from its fingers aiding its natural abilities, spreading the ice further and further. The miners and farmers and traders came to a complete stop, uncertainly - behind them, the avalanches shuddered to a close and the ice settled. When all fell silent, the feral ulfrbarn of legends rose.
"It is the lagreinn," hissed one farmer. "He..." A pause. "Saved us?"
"Impossible," grunted a miner. "Why would a living curse –"
"Hush now," the Elder waved a hand. "We should have listened to its warning earlier," he added with a sigh, counting the Jotunn who had not fallen behind. "And now we have paid for it. Ahhh..." He sat down with a groan and nursed his left foot which had, at some point, gotten cut by sharp ice. "What has Jotunheim come to?"
There was a small rustle and then the Elder's large hand, stemming the cut as he tried to roughly bind it with a leather thong, was lightly touched by slender fingers, which opened to reveal the gentle sparkle of luminous stones of bright yellow and fainter blues. The smaller palm turned over, holding the stones against the cut and green wisps poured forward again, stitching the skin effortlessly together.
"Lagreinn – you –" The Elder gasped and the other Jotunn whispered amongst each other (So it does have magic! Yes, yes. That is what I said.). Watery, aged eyes gazed at the dark head now rising at the name.
"It is not lagreinn."
Everyone froze at the quiet whisper of the cursed one.
"It is ulfrbarn."
And in a flash of green, the wolf's child was gone, no doubt to rejoin his kindred far away in the green forest of Jathar Skogr.
It was Ulfrbarn from that day onward in the tales of the Snjarhamr Elders – and when the Jotunn returned warily to their homes, and looked upward, they could see the traces of thick walls of ice, clinging to rock and tree, which had born the brunt and redirected the force of the blast away from their village by ten spans. Walls of ice and carefully carved paths of rock cleaved by a grand working, they realized.
It was Ulfrbarn from that day onward. Ulfrbarn who gained respect and thanks besides fear - and the Elders' tales multiplied until the final day when the ulfrbarn showed indisputable strength and worth for the sake of Jotunheim, when the enemies of the Jotunn came and took its undiscovered treasure.
When the unnamed ones came.
[... the Void brings nothing but sorrow...]
[... they are coming...]
I AM SORRY WORLD FOR THE SHORTNESS!
There you go. Loki rocking it big time in Jotunheim. And as you can see, avalanches! Yes! I researched avalanches for 2 hours. TWO HOURS! Even watched a documentary until I had dreams of a White Christmas. Sigh. Discovered a ton of things - like the fact that there are 3 main types of avalanches and how to deter them and turn them aside and how they hit and impact the ground when they get to the bottom of a slope and et cetera. I hope it seemed realistic to you. :D
Uh... coming up next - the start of a new ARC! YEP! Be prepared! For... ANGST! Next update around Tuesday. XD
Let me know what you think!
Author's Note on Chapter 16: Writing fluff is rather difficult in a fic like this - because I don't want it to BE FLUFF. I want it to be weighty but light and hopefully that's a feeling you came away with. I had this image of an art-documentary really (like Oceans or Journey to the Edge of the Universe or Planet Earth) - bizarrely enough. This feeling of silence (like Black Stallion meets Eight Below meets Princess Mononoke) - a feeling of... nature and being on the edge of things. And then, in this wide wide world, the camera focuses - closer and closer - on a small black dot. It's the ulfrbarn cleaning his fish with the Pack-Mother at his side. Yeah.
And of course, yes, magic is important. Loki hasn't stopped learning about it. You could say that here is where he will apply theory and do things on his own. There is a bit of "Colour of Magic" by Pratchett here, I think, in the sense that he is starting to see the warp and weft of the world and discovering how the cosmos is bound together, and it is empowering him.
Glossary:
Aldinn Stathr – Ancient Place
Atfirth – energies
blakkrbjorr – black beer
Blakkrbjorn – black bear
blakkrgras – black grass
blargras – blue grass
Dagaheim
dvegr – dwarf
dyrspeki – zoologist
Eybjarg (Chasms of Forever)
fauld – a part of armour around the lower midsection
Flara River – Treacherous River
For-Eldra – Ancestors
Forn Vegr – Old Ways
Gastropnir
Gnottvatn (Lake of Abundance)
Gothahus – temple
Grarfjall – Grey Mountains
grarulfr – grey wolves
Griotunagardar
hafnathr – sea serpents
heillgrjot – healing stones
Heimsrsal – Soul of the Realm
heithrsker – crystal flowers
Holdra River – Hero's River
holkimurtr – small flat fish
Holkn Vollr – Flat Plains
holmganga – a method of ending feuds/disagreements
hota-eik – white oak
hvaeta – wheat
Innaheim – Inner Realm
jarnkottr – iron cat (beast which Laufey released in Thor)
jarnvithr – iron wood
Kaldrfjall (Cold Mountains)
Kero Fornvetr – Casket of Ancient Winters
kostrboth – a method of proving virility for the purpose of marriage
lagreinn – small one (epithet)
Lengi Ofrithr – Long War
luthrblom – trumpet flower
manisilfr – moonsilver
melrakki – white fox
Myrkr Skogr – shadow forest
Nattura – spirits
Northri Stjarna – North Star
silvralmr – silver elm
silvrfiskr – silver fish
Sithr Efingi – True Heir
Skalldi
skordyr – Jotunheim goat
snaerharra – snow rabbit
Storrholl – Great Hall
thurblakulfr – giant black wolves
tunglbom (moonflower)
Ulfrbarn - Wolf Child
Utanheim – Outer Realm
Utgard
vaetki – nothing
ventrmellin – winter melon
villrkyr – wild ox
Virtha Aevi – Coming of Age
Vollrvatn – Lake of the Plains