Pairing: Tony/Loki, Thor/Sif, Clint/Darcy

Rating: M

Word Count: Don't know and don't care

Summary: While his palace is under siege by Odin and his army, King Laufey sends his infant son away with a powerful and much sought-after weapon. His hope is that when he is old enough, the boy will be able to wield it and defeat Odin to save not only Jotunheim, but as well as the other realms that have fallen to the tyrant's rule.

Warnings: Norns.

Don't own The Avengers, because if I did it wouldn't have been that long. I'm only saying that because I had to pee during the last hour or so. And I don't own Lord of the Rings, because if I did Boromir and Faramir would be married. I regret nothing.

Story Alert: Cad2u

So, the story doesn't stick to the "Fellowship" timeline at the beginning. When I first posted this on AO3 I didn't have the movie (I only had "Two Towers") so I couldn't refer to it. The fic starts to follow the timeline around chapter 3 (not including the prologue).

Part 1: Chapter 1

Green eyes fluttered open at the sensation of wetness. And bad breath.

"Ew! Fenrir, quit slobbering on me!" The dark-haired male realized why the wolf was licking his face. "Oh no, the sun is up! It must be nearly mid-day!"

After pulling the blanket away from his body, the teen changed out of his sleepwear and into a wardrobe that mostly consisted of black and dark green. He was about to leave the tent when he quickly turned back around and opened the chest next to his bed. He took out a small box and inside was a single earring, which he put in the hole on his left earlobe. It was a one-inch long silver chain with a blue cube the size of a marble dangling on the end.

He had received it from his guardians when he became a teenager, and he liked it and all, but he thought it a bit strange that an earring could glow. Then again, his guardians themselves were strange.

"Loki, good morning," a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes said to him. She was stirring something in a pot, meaning he had woken up too late to start breakfast like he was supposed to.

"Good morning, Verdandi. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sleep in so late."

"It is alright. Come, you can stir. My arm is getting tired." When Loki sat on the large rock beside the woman, he let out a sigh without meaning to. "Something troubles you."

"Oh, I…I had that dream again." The blonde next to him stiffened minutely. "About the man…Frost Giant…with the baby. Speaking to it. Fenrir is there, too."

"Oh dear…"

"What is it?"

The teen raised an eyebrow when the woman cupped the side of his face with her hand. She smiled sadly before lowering her hand and rising from where she had been kneeling.

"I will go find my sisters and then we shall eat breakfast. There is something we must discuss with you."

"Okay…" Loki muttered, but she was already out of hearing range.

Loki scooped some soup into the four wooden bowls and carefully placed three of them in the spots where his guardians normally sat for meals. He looked up when he heard voices approach.

"It's always about money or love or the harvest! Is that all these mortals think about?" The woman with fiery red hair and green eyes shouted.

"There there, Skuld. Have some breakfast. You will feel better," Verdandi said, guiding her sister towards the campfire.

"You can say that so easily. People don't need to ask about their lives in the moment. All that matters to them is the future. I'm not some palm-reading gypsy!"

"We should eat. We have something to tell Loki, remember?" The third woman said. She had short black hair, gold eyes and tan skin.

"Thank you, Urd. I was just about to say that," Verdandi commented.

Loki only sat there quietly with a smile on his face. This was a normal morning routine. Actually, any time during the day. He didn't understand why Skuld continued to offer people advice about their futures if it annoyed her so much. She lied half of the time anyway.

While Loki ate his soup, he felt something bump against his thigh. He looked down and saw Fenrir lying on the ground, staring up at him with large eyes.

"You are such a leech," Loki sighed before setting his bowl on the ground.

"If you continue to do that, he will continue to beg," Skuld said.

"I know. I don't really mind."

xXxXx

After they finished eating, Loki took their bowls and washed and dried them at the river nearby, doing the same with the small cauldron. When he returned once everything was put away, he saw that his guardians were still seated around the campfire. He joined them without being told, remembering they had wanted to speak to him about something.

"So…what did you want to talk to me about?"

"What we specialize in: your past," Urd replied.

"Your present," Verdandi chimed in.

"And your future," Skuld finished.

"I don't understand."

"I shall start," Urd said. "These dreams you've been having are not dreams. They are memories."

"But how can that be? There are Frost Giants in my dreams, and I'm obviously not a-" Loki's breath caught in his throat when Verdandi clutched one of his hands in both of hers. The skin turned blue and it continued to spread up his arm; he felt cold for some reason. "What…what did you do to me?"

"The baby in your dreams is you. And the Giant holding you is King Laufey, your father."

"My father…and Fenrir?" Loki slowly turned his head and looked down at the wolf that was curled at his feet. "You haven't aged a day!"

"Loki, your father sent you to us for protection."

"From what?" Loki was somewhat glad to see that his skin was no longer blue.

"Odin and his weapon, Gungnir," Skuld answered.

"Odin…Gungnir…the man with one eye?"

"Yes. Your father inflicted that wound himself." Loki actually felt a little swell of pride when she said that. "We were assigned the task of raising you until you were old enough."

"Old enough for what?"

"To defeat Odin and return the Casket of Ancient Winters to Jotunheim."

"But how? I'm only seventeen! And you expect me to fight the King of Asgard? With what?"

"With this," Verdandi replied, pointing at the blue cube hanging from his left ear.

"My earring? How is a piece of jewelry going to help me?"

"It has been shrunk in order to be hidden from view of anyone who would wish to take it. When this is at its true size, it is the most powerful weapon in existence. It is pure power itself, and the only thing that can face Gungnir in battle."

"What do I do with it?"

"Go with Fenrir to Alfheim. Have the Elves forge a staff in which you can attach the Tesseract to the end."

"But I'm just a kid. Why would they listen to me?"

"The Elves know what it is for, and they will support you. They, too, are on bad terms with Odin."

"And you are certain they won't try to steal it from me?" The lack of response from the three women was enough of an answer for him.

"We won't make any promises," Skuld said quietly.

The fact that the one with future sight answered made Loki feel somewhat discouraged. He sighed heavily and tugged at the end of his braid.

"Will I see you again?"

"No."

"So…this is really goodbye."

"Yes."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Loki groaned, holding his stomach.

"No, don't vomit! You just ate breakfast, and we don't have any left-overs!" Verdandi exclaimed, earning a smack to the arm from Skuld. "Ow."

"I don't even know where Alfheim is! How am I supposed to find it?"

"We will give you a map, of course," Urd said, patting Loki on the head. "We did not expect you to know the way."

Loki looked down at his hands, which he had folded in his lap. He heaved a sigh and his shoulders shook as quiet sobs forced themselves from his throat. When he felt arms wrap around him, he leaned into the embrace.

"We should get your things together. The sooner you leave, the more ground you will cover before it gets dark," Verdandi said next to his left ear.

"Wouldn't it be better for me to travel at night? Fenrir can still see, and it would be harder for people to find me in the dark," Loki said once they separated. "Right?"

"That is normally the case, but it does not apply to Tyr."

"Tyr?"

"He is Odin's strongest warrior, and he cannot be killed."

"What does he look like? How will I know if I've found him?" The blonde shook her head.

"He will find you." She felt a stab of guilt when his whole body seemed to wilt. She wished she could lie to him and say everything would be okay, but that was Skuld's job. "Oh, it looks like they are about finished packing your belongings. You should wake Fenrir."

xXxXx

It took a while to rouse the wolf from his slumber, and when he finally did awaken, he rolled over on his back because he wanted Loki to rub his belly. Loki knew they didn't have time for this, but he relented because Fenrir wouldn't move until he got what he wanted. When Fenrir was satisfied, he stood up and shook the dirt off his fur.

Loki, with Fenrir at his side, walked over to where the three women were shoving who-knows-what into a satchel until it was near to bursting. He smiled slightly as he watched them pass the bag amongst each other and their shrill bickering filled his ears. He had become so accustomed to this.

His father had chosen them specifically to be his protectors, to raise him as their own. And it was clear that they had had no prior experience with raising a child. They were revered as three of the most powerful beings in the world, yet they couldn't even roast a fish by hand without completely charring it.

Loki didn't realize he had been staring until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jarred and looked to his right to see Verdandi standing next to him. She had always been his favorite. Skuld was often grumpy and rude, and Urd didn't talk very much. But Verdandi was there to listen to him, give him a shoulder to cry on, and make him feel better just by being there. Had she been a mortal, she would have made a good mother.

"Ready?" She said, gently rubbing his arm.

"No."

"Okay, this should be able to hold you over for a few days," Skuld said with a proud look on her face. She was holding the satchel out to him with a trembling arm and her brow was coated with sweat.

"Thank you, Skuld," Loki replied, taking the bag from her. It was barely staying closed because of how full it was. He would definitely need to check the logistics of what his family packed for him. "I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for me, and for my father. I hope that I can make you proud."

"Oh Loki, you don't need to kill Odin in order to make us proud," Urd said dismissively.

"That's comforting to know," Loki said with a laugh. He looked down when he felt Fenrir brush against his leg and bump his hand with his nose. Ah, so Fenrir had been given the same job, and he knew what was still required of him, and Loki could tell that the wolf was becoming restless because they hadn't left yet. "I suppose Fenrir is ready to go."

"He is your companion and your protector. He will not let any harm come to you," Verdandi said. "Oh and one more thing, Loki. Stay off the roads."

Loki nodded in understanding. He put on his cloak that he had taken out of his tent, then secured the strap of the satchel over his shoulder, before getting on Fenrir's back. According to the map he had been given, Alfheim was northeast of Nornheim. He would spend the night somewhere in Midgard, but he would have to stay outdoors. There were probably a slim number of inns that allowed wolves as guests.

TBC