Jotun Trickery
Loki paced back and forth before Kona as she sat on her cushioned bench in her chambers, her head following the sounds of his footsteps across her floor. He had been like this, tense and solemn, ever since he'd returned from Earth after speaking with Thor a few days ago, a trip she knew weighed heavily on his heart.
"And you're sure he shall start to change?" he asked her for what had to be the hundredth time.
"Yes," she let out a small smile, "Loki I have seen it, even now he is growing. That man…a…" she frowned, trying to recall the name she'd heard him called in her vision, "Selvig," she nodded, "Has rescued Thor from that facility, Thor will appreciate the gesture, the loyalty the man will show and the reasons behind helping him. That was…the first step, the first of many."
Loki nodded, "Good."
Kona frowned and tilted her head, "What is troubling you still?"
He sighed and moved to sit beside her, taking her hand as she turned to him, "I…I think…I must go to Jotunheim."
She blinked, "For what reason?"
"To speak with Laufey."
"But Loki, the Frost Giants are ready to war, you said so yourself, they will attack and kill any Asgardian they see!"
He nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see, "I know."
"Then why would you risk that?"
He took a breath, "When Thor returns…I…I do not want the thought of war to tempt him, to…cause him to revert to the man he was. If I do nothing to try and stay the war, Thor will return to Asgard on the brink of it. I must ensure there is peace before Thor returns so he shall not have cause to go to war or attack again."
"Would going to Jotunheim not cause the war to happen?" Kona argued lightly, not truly disregarding his thoughts, but bringing up points that needed to be considered, "Or is that the plan? To spark the war and have it over before Thor returns? You know the Warriors Three and Sif will rush to bring Thor back if war does happen."
"Yes," he rubbed his face, squeezing her hand with his other hand, "I am hoping I might orchestrate a similar situation as the one I led Thor to."
Kona frowned, "I am not sure I'm following."
He let out a small laugh, he truly appreciated how she listened to him and always gave him a chance to explain his thoughts first. He loved that Kona never tried to put on airs of intelligence or superiority, if she needed help, she asked, if she didn't understand something, she said it, it didn't matter to her how others saw her, whether dim or weak or anything, so long as she herself knew and understood.
"I tricked Thor into going to Jotunheim, so that father would see he was not ready for the throne," he explained, "What if…I tricked the Jotuns into going to Asgard."
"Is that not what a war would do?"
"Not a war," he elaborated, "I do not intend for a war to begin, not at all, I do not want a single drop of Asgardian blood spilled."
"But if the Frost Giants come to Asgard, why would they come if not to attack us?"
"To attack Odin as he lies weak," he said, his voice solemn.
He looked at Kona a long while as they sat in silence, watching her expression. That had been…the hardest thing to say, not just because of what it sounded like but…because this was, as much as he hated to admit it, a bit of a…test, for Kona. She had been so good to him, so faithful, so sure and loyal and understanding he just…he wanted to make sure that it would continue. If Kona ever thought, even for a moment, that one of his plans was terrible or 'traitorous' or that she thought he…meant for harm…he didn't know what he'd do. He just…wanted to know that she would always believe in him. He would need it for what he was planning to do.
"You would lead them to Odin," she began, speaking slowly, as though trying to work something out as she went.
"Yes," he spoke, even though it wasn't a question.
"And they would attack him…"
"Yes."
"But you would not ever let them harm Odin," she said, sounding so sure that he felt the air leave his lungs in relief.
"Never," he agreed, feeling like he wanted to laugh in joy at the faith she still had in him.
Anyone else, anyone at all, even Frigga he thought, would assume that he meant to have Odin murdered, to make his own place on the throne secure and unshakable. But Kona, she KNEW him, she knew exactly who he was, how he was, she KNEW the love he felt for his family and that, despite his tense shouts with his father that he did believe in his heart that Odin WAS his father. She knew that whatever he'd said…he had a plan to it, he had MORE to it.
"You're luring them into a trap."
"Not exactly, he smiled at her, "If I can convince a few of the Jotuns, and Laufey, to agree to come to Asgard, solely to kill Odin first…that would be a far worse attack, to aim for the king of the realm, instead of attacking its army like Thor did. If they attack Odin, we would only be defending our King."
"And the debt would be paid," Kona nodded, "Thor attacked them, they attacked us."
"Yes," he agreed, "And…if Laufey himself were to do it, if he were stopped as Odin would, of course, be heavily protected…"
"The Jotuns would be without their king!" Kona's eyes widened.
"Exactly. Odin always said that, in battle, it is best to attack those leading the armies. Remove the leader and the soldiers fall to chaos. If Laufey were to be stopped in his attempt on Odin, not only would it be justified on our part to attack him, but…the Jotuns would have no king to rule them. They'd have no heir to take up the throne, they would not be able to mount a counterattack. They would be weakened without their leader and fall to chaos with no one to take his place. A power vacuum would undoubtedly arise and the Jotuns would be in no position to attack in return, or to go to war."
"Loki…" Kona breathed, smiling, "That is…brilliant. Utterly brilliant!"
He laughed, pleased that she saw the logic in his plan. An attack on Odin himself would be cause enough for the Jotuns to be in a worse position than merely attacking a few Asgardians. And he could tell, from stories Odin had told him as a boy of what Laufey was like that the king of the Jotuns would NOT let anyone but himself be the hand that dealt the final blow to Odin's life. A blow that would never come.
Odin would be protected, of course he would, not just in the guards outside his chambers, but his mother, and HIM, he would never let anything harm Odin. He…actually, he was thinking HE needed to be the one to stop Laufey himself, but first…the problem that had to be taken care of…
Would Laufey even agree?
~8~
Loki walked, alone, through the frigid landscape of Jotunheim. He had ordered Heimdall to send him there, under the guise of negotiating peace with the Frost Giants and, as king, Heimdall had to obey him. He regretted having to leave Kona behind in Asgard, he…didn't like it. He didn't like doing that, not even when Odin had been awake, he just didn't like being away from her to start. Leaving her there, in Asgard, at that moment, knowing that she was truly alone, with Frigga tending Odin and the Warriors Three and Sif ill at ease and Heimdall free to observe her…she was alone. And while he knew she wasn't vulnerable in the sense that she was defenseless, he knew she was vulnerable in other ways.
He wanted to be as quick as he could be but he knew that a negotiation such as this would take…time. It would take precision, precaution, persuasion, and that was what he was very good at. He was patient in a way Thor was not, he knew his enemy and their desires in a way Thor had never attempted to learn, and he was gifted in speech whereas Thor was gifted in strength. He knew he could talk his way out of this if things went badly, which was another reason he hadn't brought Kona with him. He would never forgive himself if anything went wrong, if anything happened to her…if the Frost Giants tried to use her against him. He feared he would not be as calm or rational as he should be if Kona were in danger. That was truly one of the few times that he lost all sense of rationality, when Kona was hurt or in danger, like when she'd been blinded. He'd known Thor was stronger and that, naturally, he would be able to get her to the healers quicker than him…but he hadn't been able to let Kona go.
And so he walked down the expanse of white and gray, back to the small city-like area that the last battle had taken place in, towards a rather large building that appeared to be a temple of some sort. It was dark inside, the temple itself in ruins, only small shafts of moonlight peeking in through the cracks and breaks in the ceiling.
"Kill him," he heard Laufey order as the giant came into view, him stepping up before the throne of the Jotun King as he sat with his other Giants around him.
"After all I've done for you?" he asked immediately, but keeping his tone neutral, calm, confident.
Laufey eyed him, holding up a hand to stop the other Giants for a moment, regarding him closely, before he smirked, working it out, "So you're the one who showed us the way into Asgard."
He smirked as well, "That was just a bit of fun really," he lied, there was nothing even remotely fun about allowing these…monsters into his home, "To ruin my brother's big day. And to protect the realm from his idiotic rule for a while longer."
Not quite a lie there, but…more a half truth. It was to stop Thor's coronation, it was to protect the kingdom from his rule, from the rule Kona had seen occurring. But…he knew that to gain the Jotuns' trust he had to be…cruel, he had to sound as though he despised his brother, he needed them to believe that he was against Asgard. He needed his words to be harsh and bitter and biting and lead them to think he had WANTED it to happen as he described.
When nothing could be further from the truth.
Asgard…Asgard was home, it meant home and family and Kona, and as long as he had that…he would never ever be an enemy of Asgard, never be a traitor to the house of Odin, and never betray his brother.
"I will hear you," Laufey acquiesced.
Loki swallowed, taking a breath and lifting his head, "I will conceal you and a handful of your soldiers, lead you into Odin's chambers, and let you can slay him where he lies."
It wasn't a request, it wasn't an offer, it wasn't even leaving Laufey the option to say no, or giving the king the opportunity to volunteer himself. He had realized, on his walk over, that if he left that open, that there was a chance Laufey wouldn't even consider going to Asgard himself. No, he had to make it more a demand, make it a list of HIS conditions, a few of the Jotuns, with Laufey among them. He had to make it clear that THAT was ALL he was willing to do for the Frost Giants, that and no more.
"Why not kill him yourself?" Laufey frowned.
Loki's expression remained neutral for a moment as he saw Laufey's suspicion in his eyes, before he smirked, as though the answer should be obvious to another king, "I suspect that the Asgardians would not take kindly to a king who had murdered his predecessor."
He felt bile rise in him to say that, to call them 'Asgardians' as though HE were not among them, but he knew it would get to Laufey on a subconscious level, distancing himself from the Asgardians in the king's mind would make him think that he did not count himself among them, that he was NOT them, and that he did not care for them. The most blatant lie he'd ever told, because Kona had reminded him, even being a Frost Giant, he had the heart of an Asgardian, and that was all that mattered, his heart.
"Once Odin is dead, I will return the Casket to you. And you can return Jotunheim to all its uh," he glanced around, not having to force the disdain in his words, "Glory."
Laufey eyed him a moment and he offered the king his most devious smile, which seemed to work as the king sat back, grinning, "I accept."
Loki nodded and turned to leave, the smile falling off his face the moment he was out of sight of the Frost Giants.
~8~
Loki stepped out of the Bifrost, stopping short when he saw Heimdall standing at the controls of the mechanism, staring down at him. He nearly frowned at the suspicion in the man's eyes but forced himself to remain calm, even when he could feel his hands shaking to have had to do that. He just…he wanted to go back to Kona, to lose himself in the comfort of her arms, and just…be reminded that everything he'd said to Laufey HAD truly been a lie, to be reminded of why Asgard was his home. Because it was HER home too, Asgard meant Kona.
"What troubles you, Gatekeeper?" he asked Heimdall, his voice surprisingly calm and confident.
"I turned my gaze upon you in Jotunheim," Heimdall's eyes seemed to narrow at him, "But could neither see nor hear you. You were shrouded from me…like the Frost Giants that entered this Realm."
Loki did his best not to stiffen at that remark as he started to make his way across the room, heading for the bridge that would lead to his horse and the return to Asgard, "Perhaps your senses have weakened after your many years of service," he called over his shoulder.
"Or perhaps someone has found a way to hide that which he does not wish me to see," Heimdall countered, "Kona seems to have developed that ability as well at times. I am curious to discover where she may have learned that trick."
Loki stopped in his tracks at the mention of Kona, at realizing that Heimdall was aware of the times she snuck away, and that the Gatekeeper likely knew EXACTLY who had taught her how to do it. He turned back to Heimdall, eyeing him a moment, "You have great power, Heimdall. Did Odin ever fear you?"
"No."
"And why is that?"
"Because he is my King, and I am sworn to obey him," Heimdall said simply.
Loki nodded, "He WAS your king," he reminded the man of Odin's current predicament, his inability to rule, HIS appointment as king however temporary it might be, "And you're sworn to obey me now. Yes?"
Heimdall stared at him for a long while, before begrudgingly admitting, "Yes."
"Then you'll open the Bifrost to no one," he warned the man, "Until I have repaired the damage that my brother has done."
That was probably the first truth he had said since he'd ordered the man to open the Bifrost to Jotunheim. That WAS his entire purpose for going to the icy Realm, Thor had caused more harm than he realized in doing what he had. And now it was up to HIM to see it fixed before his brother returned. He had faith that Thor would be a better man when he returned, but he did NOT want to take any chances. Not when Asgard's safety, when Kona's safety, were at risk. He needed to fix the issues with Laufey and the Jotuns and do it before Thor could come back.
He turned and stalked out of the room, all too aware of Heimdall's gaze following him the entire way and realizing he would need to be careful with his magic so Heimdall would not see what he and Kona discussed.
~8~
"Again with the sneaking up on me, Mischief Maker?" Kona shook her head as she sat in her rooms, this time with a small bit of cloth on her lap, folding things, when Loki tried to sneak up on her this time.
"One day Kona," he murmured, kissing the back of her head.
Kona's smile faded, "What's wrong?"
"What makes you think something is wrong?" he wondered, trying to sound innocent, trying to sound…unburdened.
"I can hear it in your voice," she remarked, setting down the cloth before she stood, running her hand along the back of the bench for guidance till she was around it and facing Loki, "I hear more than you think in your voice," she reached out and touched his arm, trailing her hand down it till she could take his hand instead, "Now tell me, what is bothering you?"
He sighed, turning to lean on the back of the bench, not letting go of her hand, unintentionally mimicking how she had sat when he'd told her he was a Frost Giant, "I am just…frustrated."
"About what?"
"Everything," he huffed, finally letting it out, letting out everything he'd tried to keep in so as not to seem like he was complaining about the burden he'd been dealt in being king, "Heimdall is suspicious of me, the Warriors Three and Sif plan to go behind my back, father might possibly be dying, my brother is not yet ready to be king and…" he shook his head, "I just…cannot bear it much longer Kona. I have never wanted to be king, I have only ever had Asgard's best interests in mind yet everyone looks upon me as though I have foul purpose behind my actions when they are nothing of the sort."
Kona's expression was soft as she gazed in his direction, she could hear it in his voice, feel it in how he squeezed her hand, how much this was truly bothering him, how much it was getting to him. She reached out to touch his face, absently stroking the hair on the side of his head as tucked a lock of it behind his ear, her hand coming to rest on his cheek as her thumb lightly ran along it, "I am sorry, Loki," she murmured, "That you are so burdened. You have taken up the role of king and born this heavy weight for the most…noble purpose. When Thor returns, perhaps then they will see all you have done has been for the benefit of Asgard."
"But when will he return?" he had to wonder, "I am not certain I can bear it that long."
She understood, he was not prepared for this, he had never been prepared for it, ever. He had never been trained to be king, taught how to do it. Yes he had taken the same classes as Thor in politics and etiquette and other useful skills for a king to have, but…he had spent his entire life never thinking that he would need to use them in the capacity of king, and now he was being thrown into it with no warning. It was hard, and it was a terrible burden to bear. He had done so much and sacrificed so much for the sake of his brother and his kingdom, and to be looked at every single moment with suspicions…she could see how it would be a trying experience. She was almost thankful she could not see, she was certain that Sif at least had been sending her the same looks.
"Come with me," she gently tugged him off the back of the bench, leading him to her doors.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"Somewhere you can release your frustrations."
He laughed, "I hardly think your version of releasing frustrations will work for me, my heart."
She smiled, "If I were going to force you to do so MY way…we would be heading towards my bed, would we not?"
Loki started blushing, his mind going to a place…not quite proper. He knew that HER way of releasing frustrations was nowhere NEAR where his mind had gone at the mention of her bed. Kona…preferred to get her anger and frustrations out but simply screaming into a pillow at times. She would just grab a pillow, press it to her face, and drop onto her bed on her stomach, screaming muffled shouts and quite…colorful language for a Lady…into it till she'd gotten it all out of her system. His mind however had gone to an activity…more suited for their wedding night, and not at all right to be thinking of at the moment.
"Well then," he cleared his throat, "How do you intend for me to release my frustrations then?"
"We are going to spar."
He stopped short, "Kona…" he shook his head.
She turned to him, "Loki I know you are uncomfortable dueling with me, we won't use swords or other weapons if you are that concerned but…you, for all your brilliance, have always needed to be physical when you're upset. YOU need this to calm down, to get all your anger and all the things upsetting you out of your mind."
It had always been a bit odd, how Loki operated when he was upset. He would sulk and stalk about but do so silently, not wanting to burden anyone else with his own problems. He would often over think everything and so, really, the only way for him to be able to sort through them was to do something mindless and something tiring. There was nothing more of both than to go to the training houses and to just…let his body take control, to punch and kick and swing at a wooden dummy. IN that capacity, he let his body do everything, his mind could shut down as he fell into routine, his mind could go blank when everything was running on instinct instead.
It was therapeutic for him to train like that when he had much on his mind. Because that was the one time he didn't think about it, when he didn't have cause or need to think.
"It is not that I am uncomfortable," he hesitated, "I just…"
"What?" she asked, a small challenging smirk on her face, "You think you could beat me?"
"Oh I am certain of it," he felt himself starting to smile, she always knew exactly how to get him ready to accept what she wanted to do, Thor wasn't the only one who liked a challenge, and he always knew that when Kona issued one, the end result was something beneficial to him and not just some mindless challenge that served no purpose, "I am just afraid of hurting you."
He always worried about that, that he would harm her. He truly hated the thought of her in pain, of HIM being the cause of that pain. He never wanted that to happen ever, yet there were times she insisted on them sparring.
"As though you ever could," she whispered, "I know you will not, not truly. You will never harm me in THAT way Loki, never worry about that," she reassured him, "But remember, when I issue you a challenge I DO know what I will be getting into. I do know the consequences. I know things may get rough in the course of the spar, I expect it to happen, and I understand that when it does, it is not you doing it will a wish or desire to harm me. This will just be a spar, for fun, for YOU," she smiled, "Understand?"
He let out a breath, not entirely comfortable, but nodding, "Yes," because she was right, this was HER leading him to a spar, it meant she knew what was coming and she was ready for it, she wouldn't do it if she didn't know that she could get hurt.
"Oh," she pouted a bit.
"What?" he frowned, he thought she'd have been thrilled he'd given in.
"I was SO hoping you would have held out a little longer," she sighed, "I was looking forward to…persuading you."
He felt himself start to smile, "Oh…well, in that case…I'm reconsidering this spar Kona," he said, trying to sound serious, though it came out a bit too eager.
"Are you?" she laughed, "Well then," she stepped closer, placing her arms around his neck as she leaned closer to him, "I shall just have to convince you otherwise, won't I?"
He only managed a single laugh before it was cut off by Kona placing her lips on his. He truly was terrible at this, a single kiss from Kona, even on the cheek, and he'd agree to whatever she wanted. But either way, it meant he did get a kiss from her.
~8~
"Is that the best you can do, Mischief Maker?" Kona laughed as she and Loki stood in the middle of a training room, the floors softer than the others, just the two of them there.
"You cheated," he countered with a laugh of his own, already feeling ten times better than when they'd first stepped in, though he wasn't sure if it was because of the spar (more like a playful wrestle than anything), or because he loved Kona's training attire. It was quite the contrast to what she normally wore. It was quite like Sif's really, black leggings that went to her knees and a black, sleeveless shirt that went to her thighs, everything fitted so that the clothes didn't weigh her down or make her movements sluggish. She was barefoot as well, as was he, the training clothes for all men and women being much the same.
Her hair though, her lovely golden hair was pulled back out of her face by a ribbon, though parts of it were peeking out from what he could see.
"How could I have possibly cheated?" she put on an innocent look, "I cannot see!"
"That is exactly how," he pointed at her, "You saw what I was going to do!"
She laughed and smiled, "As Frigga taught me, a woman must use everything to her advantage," and that was all she said before she ran in the direction of his voice, at him.
He stepped to the side and grabbed her around the waist, holding her back to his front as she struggled…only for her to lock her hands and elbow him in the side, forcing him to let go as the air was knocked out of him. She turned, dropping to the ground and swinging her leg out, but he jumped up, avoiding being taken out that way as she twisted to roll back onto her knees, facing him. She was looking at the floor, the one time she didn't look at the person before her, when she was concentrating on listening to them, for them, listening for their footsteps and their breathing and the sound of their weapons moving. He swung his left arm out at her, as though to try and backhand her, but she leaned back, avoiding it, kicking out her leg to get him in the gut, sending him stumbling back as she jumped to her feet.
"I think you are getting slow Loki," she smiled.
"Oh you think so?" he challenged, "Then come at me and we'll see how slow I am."
She lunged at him…and he disappeared, a trick, a projection. She stumbled into the wall, turning around when she heard a punch coming her way and stepped to the side, only for an arm to be there, the right hand landing in the wall…but she could hear the palm hit it instead of the fist, she could feel Loki step closer, trapping her against the wall.
"And you call ME a cheater," she panted.
He grinned and leaned in, kissing her quickly, unable to help it, she just…he never really got to see her fight in a manner like this. Whenever she did it was usually to truly defend herself, and at that point his mind was screaming at him to help her, to protect her and he could never really appreciate how she fought. But now…just the two of them sparring…he appreciated her very, VERY much. It was amazing how strong she was and how fierce a warrior despite her loss of sight. She was actually at more of an advantage than the others. If it were a night battle or if a flash of magic went off intended to blind the warriors, they would have no idea how to fight, but Kona did. She DID use everything to her advantage, used her hearing and her ability to smell to make up for her lack of sight. At times it was almost like she COULD see them, she fought that well. She saw attacks coming and not just through her visions, but through her senses as well.
"You do realize," Kona breathed as he pulled away, resting his forehead to hers, "That you have let yourself become distracted in the middle of battle, yes?"
He nodded, smiling, "Something I am certain I shall pay dearly for in a moment yes?"
She smiled, "Oh yes…" before she shoved off the wall, tackling him to the ground, grabbing his arms and pinning them to the floor, her legs locked over his so he would be unable to move them as well, "I win."
He smirked, "Do you?" he challenged, before using his size to turn, rolling her over so he was on top of her, pinning HER down now, "I think I win."
"No," she said simply, her smile turning more mischievous, "I believe I still win."
"Oh, and how so?"
"You are on top of me."
That was ALL she had to say, before he found himself scrambling off her, his eyes wide, "I…I'm sorry, I…I f-forgot…I…"
Kona started laughing, just lying on the ground, "I told you, I win."
Loki stared at her a moment, before realizing she'd said that JUST to get him scrambling off her, and allowing her the victory, "You are the biggest cheater."
"If it wins me the war, I am oddly ok with that," she joked.
"I think that was more the battle that you won," he countered.
She held out her hand, her eyes closed, and he took it, moving to lie beside her, both of them breathing heavily as they calmed down from their spar, both with a sheen layer of sweat on their brow from the work out. He smiled when he felt her move closer, resting her head on his shoulder and play with his fingers as he often did with her.
"Why were you so determined to keep the Frost Giants from attacking before Thor returns?" she asked, "I know there's more to it than simply not wanting the thrill of battle to tempt him."
Loki sighed, he should have known that she'd notice that, that his insistence that the Frost Giant War be prevented was more than just him looking out for his brother, "When Thor returns…I shall have to tell him…what…I am," he began, "I would not feel right keeping such a thing from him. He is…he is my brother. And, when I tell him, I…I need him to know that I am and will forever be on HIS side, that I am his ally and his brother and that I am not a monster like the Jotuns."
"Why would he ever think that?" Kona asked, Thor…loved Loki, she doubted there was anything that could ever make him question Loki's own love and allegiance.
Loki sighed, "When Odin came to rescue us, before he banished Thor. Thor was…shouting about the Jotuns. He said…that the Jotuns needed to learn to fear him, as they feared father, he…he HATES them Kona. HE hates them all. I…I do not want him to hate me as well."
"Thor is your brother Loki," Kona murmured, "I believe he could hate you no more than you could hate him."
"I don't think I could ever hate Thor," Loki admitted, "Be envious, sometimes, but…never HATE him."
It just…seemed so foreign a thought. Thor was his brother, his best friend, the one he had looked up to as a child despite being close in age. How he could ever hate his brother…it was beyond him. The only time he had ever come close was…was when Kona had been blinded, he'd hated Thor until he'd seen Kona start to get better, start to not be as afraid, start to adapt and accept what happened. He couldn't see Thor ever harming Kona again after that.
He opened his mouth to tell her so…when they heard a roar of something. Loki leapt to his feet, helping her up as they ran to a balcony attached to the rooms, him staring out at the sight in the distance.
"Why does it sound like the Bifrost was just activated?" Kona breathed.
Loki swallowed hard, "Because it was," he remarked, realizing what had happened, what had happened earlier than they expected.
Just as Kona's vision had entailed, the Warriors Three and Sif had gone to Earth for Thor.
A/N: Some more of a possible other look into why Loki went to Jotunheim and his thoughts on the Frost Giants. I'm very excited for the next two chapters (oh, wow, the story's over in 2 chapters! O.O) because we all know what's coming next for Earth and Thor and Loki...but what will be coming for Kona? }:)
Some notes on reviews...
I can say we'll find out Loki's reasons for sending the Destroyer in the next chapter ;)
Loki will have a slightly different reason for what he does to Jotunheim, perhaps a bit more...desperate, than in the movie }:) But as for what will happen with him and Kona and being able to defend themselves...we'll have to wait and see ;) Loki's villain role will be...complicated and there'll be more to it than anyone realizes, there'll be a definite twist for Kona and Earth that we'll see very soon ;)