Author's note: And now – the Moment of Truth (sorta).
"So, Man of Iron," the powerful voice booms from the dais. "You have brought grievances."
Grievances. Yeah, he supposes that's one way to put it.
And then he realizes he has no idea what the correct address is for a god of Odin's calibre when you're a puny mortal. Your majesty? Your godliness? Your epicness? Darn, he should have checked that with Thor before coming here. Well, probably Thor did inform him at some point, but he was too distracted to pay attention. So he settles for 'Allfather'; it's what Thor used moments ago, so it can't be all wrong.
"Well, Allfather," Tony says, hoping his voice is sufficiently polite and respectful. Crawling before authority was never his style, but he's well aware that this is neither the time not the place for token obstinacy. "I am not… satisfied with Loki's sentence. So I am here to ask that it be changed, or at least given a time limit."
He can hear some of the Council members shift along the sidelines, but he pays them no heed. They have already faded into the background as far as he's concerned; convincing this guy in front of him is his number one priority since he's the one running the show around here.
Odin regards him without much of an expression of anything showing in his bearded, eye-patched face. "After all Loki did to your world, you would still stand here before us to plead his case?" he asks, almost impassively.
Valid question, Tony supposes. "Yes, I do," he replies, trying to make his voice come off as strong and decisive as possible.
"Why is that?" comes the next question, clipped and curt.
Tony draws a deep breath. "Well, I don't consider a life-time of slavery to be a fair sentence regardless of the crime, and it's not how I believe that justice should be dispensed. It's simply too harsh a punishment."
He realizes that he's probably stepping on thin ice already, tripping on the edge of criticizing Asgard's justice system – the most integral part of which clearly consists of the god in front of him – but it is hard to make his case while acting as if he's okay with slavery, which is something he doesn't want to pretend regardless.
"You are free to speak your opinions to the court, whatever they may be," Odin intones from his dais. "However, you are far from the only victim of Loki's crimes. Hence, my question is – would the rest of your fellow Midgardians agree with your claim that the sentence is unjust? Are you speaking for the majority of your kind, as opposed to merely offering the court your own personal convictions?"
Tony suddenly remembers the truth geas that is supposedly preventing him from lying, but he is certain that even if there might be a select few weirdos out there who would disagree, most people back on Earth would definitely not be okay with a slavery kind of punishment, so answering in the affirmative should not be a problem.
He's about to open his mouth to offer a resolute 'yes', but he startles as he can suddenly feel a strange sort of foreign, commanding force closing in on him, pushing against and tugging at him at the same time. It wants his lips to form a 'no' instead of the intended 'yes', and he finds himself suddenly unable get a word out, his body frozen in place.
What the…?
The medallion, his brain screams at him. The medallion is doing this to you, you fell for it, you fell for that prettyboy's lies, it was a mind-controlling device after all, how could you have been so gullible? You of all people?
As his mind is wrestling with the strange foreign power, trying to tear loose from its hold with all its might, he forces himself to look towards Frey, his eyes apparently the only part of him currently able to move.
The god is still doing the borderline casual lounge among his more straight-backed peers as he regards Tony with a thoughtful expression, thumb and index finger slowly trailing across his bearded chin. He can discern the hint of a smile half-hidden behind the man's hand, and more than anything Tony wants to drive his fist into that face and that fake smile and-
But then he's not so sure of why anymore, and he remembers that he has a question to answer. And the answer is 'no', isn't it? Because surely his fellow humans would believe that Loki's sentence is just and consider it the perfect punishment; what Tony is speaking here is merely his own opinions that only a select few back home would agree with, right?
Yes, that's right. It seems right, at least. So curiously, peculiarly right.
He is just about to give in to that lulling voice whispering in his head, when all of a sudden it is as if another foreign presence slips beneath the first. It spreads to form a protective shield around him that pushes that initial and insistent force away, holding it off at an arm's length distance.
And Tony snaps out of his momentary stupefaction, the veils clouding his mind falling away like curtains pulled aside at the theatre. He can still sense the alien force outside the edges of his consciousness as it claws at him in frustration, trying to regain its previous hold, but it's not longer affecting him as the newcomer is holding its ground, refusing its opponent access.
Holy fuck.
So that's what it's like getting doused with a spray of fairy magic.
He's suddenly aware that the medallion is burning ice cold against his chest, as if its imbued powers are rushing out all at once to fight, and his hand automatically goes up to claw at the metal, but in the last second he manages to pass the movement off as him merely scratching at an itch.
Damn, if he hadn't been wearing the thing… he tries not to think about it; the outcome is too disturbing.
His gaze meets with Frey's and the god's perpetual smile widens minutely as he watches Tony with his head languidly cocked and an eyebrow raised in mild interest. Tony can't for the life of him tell if Frey is at all aware of what has just played out, but he wouldn't be surprised, judging by that smug and self-satisfied look the god is sporting.
Tearing his gaze away, he tries to get a hold of himself and get his panicked breathing back to normal, as the strange force field still struggles futilely at a distance away, but no longer having any effect him.
"I repeat," Odin's voice drones above him. "Do you speak for the majority of Midgardians when you say that Loki's sentence is unjust?"
"Yes," Tony manages, voice not as steady as he would have liked, but at least it's the correct word leaving his mouth.
To his left, he can see one of the Council members tense up and open his mouth in surprise at Tony's affirmative statement, his hands going up to clench the armrests of his chair.
So that's the fucker Njord.
Bastard.
"I see," is all the comment Odin offers to that.
A silence follows, during which Tony has to endure another scrutinising stare from that steel grey eye. Odin crosses his arms in front of his chest, thick muscles bulging, and Tony finds himself whimsically wishing that he will be even half as fit when he's that guy's age, or whatever the equivalent would be in human years.
"Loki tried to enslave humanity, so he has been made a slave in turn," Odin eventually says. "Why is it that you do not find this just?"
Tony draws a deep breath, having passably grounded himself again after the recent scarce, though he's seriously hoping there won't be any similar attacks again, protective medallion or not.
"Well, you see," he says, voice finally back to normal, "back home we have a rather different view of what counts as justice, and slavery does not factor into that. We've pretty much abandoned the whole 'an eye for an eye' when it comes to punishing criminals. While I admit the concept has probably been a guiding light through a lot of the history of humankind, it's not our way of doing things anymore. We kinda prefer the reformative stance nowadays."
He hopes that Odin won't take offence at the eye metaphor, but political correctness towards people with disabilities is probably an unknown concept here in Asgard anyway.
"I mean, sure it's fair to have Loki punished," he continues, "but I – and no doubt most of humanity would agree – still think it's way too harsh to have someone spend the rest of their life in slavery, regardless of their crime. I think there are other and better ways to handle this."
Slowly, Odin descends from the dais, walking down the stairs until he comes to stand on equal ground with Tony, who resists the urge to take a step back. The god offers a brusque hmph to acknowledge Tony's probably unsatisfactory explanation before speaking again.
"While what goes on in Midgard is of little concern to us Aesir, we do wish for Asgard to be on good terms with the other realms, including that of the humans. And since you were wronged by one of us, we have given you appropriate restitution by offering Loki as a slave to your kind – or more specifically, to you, Man of Iron, and to those who will come after you – to do with as you see fit. Is this recompense not satisfying to you?"
"Yeah, well, the problem is that slavery is not a popular concept in Midgard anymore," Tony counters, not sure if anything of what he's saying is really getting through to Odin. So finally, he just launches into a long and detailed exposé, trying to explain the concept of human rights and the long history that has brought about Earth's modern opinions on slavery.
The Allfather listens without interrupting or commenting, though he makes no show of understanding or sympathizing, and Tony figures it's probably no different than trying to explain the joys of capitalism to Karl Marx. He really has a mind to say a lot more than he does, but he knows it's not advisable so he keeps his comments as neutral and non-judgemental as he can manage. Those left-wing cultural relativists would have been proud.
"It would seem, then, that humans have changed since I last walked among you," Odin says slowly when Tony has finished talking what feels like an hour later. "When I last set foot on Midgard, slavery was a concept still alive and well."
"I'm sure." He runs a hand through his hair, searching for words that might sway this powerful being with a set of morals that would make most people back home cringe. "It used to be how we did things too. And perhaps a life-time slavery sentence would be considered appropriate here in Asgard. But Loki will live hundreds, if not thousands, of years yet. Someday, all the victims of his actions in New York will be dead, and there will be no one around clamouring for his punishment anymore. But Loki will still be suffering for what he did to people who are no longer even alive."
He makes a pause, sighing, "I suppose what I'm trying to say is that humans have short lives and short memories, so we really have no time for being rancorous. No one will be happier because Loki is serving time as a slave a thousand or even a hundred years from now. At some point, there will have to be forgiveness along the way. There is no point in holding onto grievances forever."
Odin has retreated a few steps towards the dais during Tony's long speech, his face half-hidden in dark, dancing shadows but the single grey eye burning as brightly as before. "I hope you are aware, that in Asgard most would call such sentiment weakness," the Allfather intones, voice harsh and cold as a winter's snow storm.
"You know, you're probably right," Tony says. "We humans are weak. We are not like you Aesir; we hurt and die easily. And perhaps our society and values reflect that. But it's what we humans are like, it's what our society and values look like, and a lifetime of slavery just… doesn't fit into how we do things."
And wow, he never knew he would turn out be such an excellent speaker on the subject of human rights. Perhaps the UN should hire him to do speeches in third world dictatorships once he gets tired of his Iron Man shtick.
"Then what would you, as a Midgardian, consider a fit punishment for crimes of this magnitude?"
Okay, he has to tread carefully here. After having seen what the dungeons are like in Asgard, he sure as heck doesn't want to risk sending Loki back there and exchanging his lifetime of slavery for a few centuries or millennia in that stinking place. "Well, I think finding some way for Loki to make reparations for the damage he's caused would be a lot more conducive than just damning him to a life of being someone's slave. It doesn't benefit anyone, really." He draws a deep breath. "And if you guys don't want to release him from his slavery sentence just yet, I'll accept keeping him under my… supervision on Midgard, but once I've thrown in the towel – in maybe fifty years or so, if I don't screw things up – I kinda think that Loki has served his time, especially if he's been able to make some sort of reparations one way or the other. We can work on that latter part. But merely enslaving him or locking him up isn't going to change anything for the better, neither for Loki nor for Midgard."
Odin turns his back without comment, cape billowing as he walks the few steps back up to the lumbering throne where he seats himself again, royal and regal as ever, and Tony gets the feeling his audience is coming to an end. The Allfather watches him in silence, the shadows hiding his face deepening until Tony isn't sure whether there's really a face up there or only a mask staring down at him. Finally, as the silence has grown uncomfortable, the god speaks again.
"Very well, Man of Iron. You have spoken your piece. Is there anyone in the Council that wishes to ask something further?"
There is only silence following that, and Tony can't help but wonder if the Council members are just puppets there for show, or if his speech has simply stunned them all into silence. Furtively, he lets his gaze travel over the assembly; the faces are still as hard and emotionless as before, revealing nothing. Well, with the exception of Frey who is still sporting that patented sly half-smirk of his.
"Well, then," Odin finally says as he turns his attention back to Tony again. "The Council will gather in the days ahead to discuss amongst ourselves whether there will be any changes in the sentence of Loki Laufeyson. We will take what you have said today into consideration and inform you once a decision has been reached."
Tony feels like groaning in frustration. Still no clear decision either way, which means that they have no choice but to resign themselves to another wait.
But at least it's something. He'd been worried that Odin would flat out refuse any form of reconsideration on the spot, throwing Tony out on his ass before he'd finished even his opening sentence.
He's about to utter some pompous Shakespearian equivalent of 'thank you for your time', but before he can open his mouth, Odin speaks again.
"The court will take a five-minute break. Then we will hear Loki Laufeyson."
If any Berserk fans recognised the part in Tony's speech about "you're right, we humans are weak, and we die easily," as having been snatched from the first volume of the manga where Guts makes his little speech before killing that snake-guy Apostle – well, you get an endless supply of Internet cookies. ^^
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