WWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO So long story short, our computer had issues and I've had this chapter practically ready for months, but then we had to send it back to HP to get it fixed and we had to back up all our files and I juST got the files back on tonight so I HAD TO PUT THIS ON BECAUSE HOLY HECK AOU IS COMING OUT THIS FRIDAY AND I NEED TO FINISH THIS BEFORE IT COMES OUT GDI!
So yeah ahm...that's all I'm gonna say right now besides I'M SO SORRY FOR THIS WAIT! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!
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A HUGE thank you to Novalunni, JBethH, and Spiritus Rex for your reviews and constant support, and to everyone else who has favorited and followed this story! Thank you all sooooo much, you don't know how happy it makes me!
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Alright! Let's go!
Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING BUT TORI MATTHEWS AND THE PLUNNY! I ALSO DESERVE CREDIT FOR ONE SCENE OF LOKI'S FLASHBACK BUT I MEAN WHATEVER
Chapter Twenty-Two
"Show me EVERYTHING! Who is Loki Laufeyson?!"
A blinding blue light erupted from between the two of us and suddenly I was thrust into a completely new environment. The scenery was filled with beautiful golden light. It was the most breathtaking sight I had ever seen! There was a brilliant palace of magnificent stature and amazing glory that I couldn't even begin to describe. It was something beyond human comprehension. For a moment, I forgot the rage that had run through my veins only seconds before.
"What is this place?" I breathed, wondering aloud. Loki appeared in a sort of spectral image beside me.
"This is Asgard, the land of the Æsirs, otherwise known as the realm eternal," the trickster's visage explained in a less-than-enthused voice. I turned to face him and raised an eyebrow. Loki sighed. "It's also the place where I grew up alongside Thor." He emphasized the hero's name disdainfully.
I furrowed my eyebrows but before I could get a chance to respond, the spectral Loki disappeared and I was warped into an inner room of the magnificent palace (or so I guessed, duly noted). Large bright torches lit the walls, and three figures, one large and two small, were walking the aisle towards a large glowing box of some kind. I frowned. It looked a lot like the Tesseract, but larger, and it had something swirling around in it, like an energy wind of some sort. It also had silver restraint-type pieces around the corners of the box.
As I neared the three figures, I picked up on voices.
"But the day will come," the larger figure began, walking forward in front of the two smaller. "When one of you will have to defend that peace…"
I gasped. An older man dressed like a lavish warrior stood by the blue box, in front of two children, who bore uncanny resemblances to Thor and Loki. They didn't appear to notice me in the room.
"Do the Frost Giants still live?" the young Loki inquired.
"When I am king," the young Thor interjected, stepping forward, voice full of pride, eyes full of adoration. "I'll hunt the monsters down and slay them all! Just as you did Father."
I glanced between the children and the larger man, who I assumed was Odin, and quietly noted how he looked at the two of them calmly and equally, not trying to favor one over the other.
"A good king never seeks out war. But," the All-Father stated, looking slowly between his two sons. "He must always be ready for it."
He stepped down from beside the pedestal and walked between the boys. Young Thor and young Loki exchanged smiles with each other, before running to catch up with Odin. I noticed that Thor had run past a pedestal that held Mjolnir on top of it, and I smirked a little.
Little Thor grabbed his father's hand. "I'm ready, Father!"
"So am I!" little Loki added, gripping the All-Father's other hand.
Odin smiled. "Only one of you can ascend to the throne," he explained to them, Thor looking gleeful and Loki looking…almost afraid. "But both of you were born to be kings."
"What?" I breathed, but before long, the scene changed and the dark weapons holding chamber (or so I guessed, again) shifted to a large extravagant bedroom.
Loki, a little older than in the previous scene, had a black eye and several cuts and bruises on his arms and legs. He was being tended to by an elegant matronly woman, and he sniffed; his bright eyes were blinking back tears.
"Now Loki, what has happened this time?" the woman asked softly. Loki furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head, and he clenched his fists on his knees. She frowned at him and placed her hand on his cheek. "Tell me, love. Why are you hurt?"
The young trickster sniffled. "I- I was playing with Thor and his friends," he began. "Hogun and Sif made fun of me for not being able to keep up, so I challenged them to a duel to prove I was worthy. I…I lost." Tears brimmed over the edge and the woman dabbed a cloth at Loki's eyes.
"Shh, it's alright," the woman soothed, before pulling him into a hug. "You do not need to prove your worthiness, dear one. You are more worthy than you know, because you are my son."
Loki's her son? Then that would make her Frigga, if memory served me correct. Although, he did say his name was Loki Laufeyson, and I'm pretty sure Frigga was only married to Odin. It perplexed me, but I continued watching. Frigga stroked young Loki's hair calmly.
His eyes welled up. "I- I wish I wasn't so weak," he choked into Frigga's chest. The woman frowned at Loki's statement and thought for a moment.
"Loki," she murmured. "There may be something I can do to help you."
The young Loki looked up at his adoptive mother with wide hope-filled eyes. "What is it?"
Frigga smiled warmly. "I can teach you my tricks, dear one. My magic."
"Really?" he queried, chest swelling.
"Yes, Loki, I can teach you all that I know, and it will even things out among you and the others," she explained.
Loki beamed and let out a giggle of exhilaration. "Thank you, Mother! Thank you!"
This scene faded away and soon, hundreds of images zoomed past, and a whirlwind of voices accompanied them. It was like information was being poured directly into my brain and I could now only barely discern certain visuals, rather than step into scenes.
"You took me for a purpose- what was it? TELL ME!"
"I'll never get used to seeing him like this…the most powerful being in the Nine Realms lying helpless until his body is restored."
"The line of succession falls to you. Asgard is yours."
"IF YOU DESTROY THE BRIDGE YOU'LL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN!"
I suddenly lurched forwards to a scene at the Bifrost, or what was left of it. Odin was holding onto Thor who was in turn holding the Gungnir spear that Loki dangled off of. The God of Mischief in question was barely able to hold on to the end of the spear, and he looked like he was about to cry.
"I could have done it Father!" he shouted to Odin, voice filled with an innocent longing. "I could have done it! For you! For all of us!"
Odin remained unfazed, though his eyes shimmered with grief. "No, Loki."
Those two words made what remained of Loki's hope drain out of his face. Slowly he began to let go, and Thor's expression contorted in fear. His shouts to his adopted brother didn't reach my ears, as watching Loki fall into the abyss of space seemed to drown out all of the noise.
I clenched my fists and my teeth, and I wished that there was something I could do besides watch. Before I could get any more time to think however, I was thrust into another scene in a darker more remote location in space. I caught a glimpse of a large purple-skinned humanoid thing sitting in a throne before Loki and a hooded person with seven fingers took over the scene. Loki looked confident, but his demeanor was a shaky façade at best. He was terrified of this place and these people.
"You question us? You question HIM? He, who put the scepter in your hand, who gave you ancient knowledge and new purpose when you were cast out, defeated?" the hooded figure growled.
"I was a king, the rightful king of Asgard! Betrayed!" Loki lashed back.
"Your ambition is little, born of childish need! We look beyond the Earth to greater worlds the Tesseract will unveil-!"
"You don't have the Tesseract yet. I don't threaten, but until I give the order, until your force is mine to command, you are but words."
"You will have your war Asgardian. If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he cannot find you! You think you know pain? He will make you long for something sweet as pain!"
I was thrust back into the darkness of my own subconscious, finding myself out of breath, throat extremely tight and dry. I looked at Loki standing in front of me still, and I narrowed my eyes at him. For a few minutes, neither of us spoke a word. The ground thrummed beneath our feet.
"You could've done it another way," I whispered. I clenched my jaw and tightened my fists. "You didn't have to do it like that!"
Loki glared at me with long-tired eyes, not giving a reply.
"It didn't have to be this way; you didn't have to go try and conquer Earth like this and end up afraid of some cosmic purple dude while getting your ass kicked by the Avengers!" I yelled, throwing my arms up in the air.
The image of that deep space realm frightened me, (and that hooded guy sent chills down my spine!) and I wasn't sure who exactly the purple thing in the space throne was- what I could guess was that Loki was afraid of him for some reason more than just his looks. It made me wonder in the back of my mind…since the Chitauri didn't come, and the Tesseract was being kept from those space people…what were they going to do?
"How would you have done it, mortal?"
I was surprised by his question, and I didn't give a response. The trickster took a deep breath and clenched his jaw.
"How would you have gone about the situation, if you were in my position?" he rephrased slowly, looking away. I shook my head, trembling a bit when the ground shook again.
"I…don't know," I replied in a softer voice. "I don't know what I would have done in that situation."
Unconsciously my eyebrows knit together. I had gotten what I wanted, hadn't I? I got to see who Loki Laufeyson was- IS. I got to practically watch his life and understand his motivations behind everything that had transpired. Why did I feel so…so guilty? Why… couldn't I think of a different alternative for his actions? I didn't know what else to say to the trickster, and slowly I sat down.
It was quiet…for a while. A long while. It was so unnerving to know all of the backstory, and being so shaken up by it! Behind it all though…everything else put aside…I found myself feeling…sorry for him.
As if Loki could tell what I was feeling, his features softened, and he sat down near me.
"I don't need anyone's pity. Least of all, yours."
His tone was soft, but his voice was firm, not biting. I looked over to him, not voicing a reply, but just sort of nodding. I found it uncanny how not too long ago I had felt the same way in the midst of a certain few heroes during a thunderstorm.
"Duly noted," I murmured. I took a deep breath, and when he turned his head to meet my eyes, I looked away from him again.
Light trickled from above where we were sitting, and slowly the inky blackness surrounding us melted away into the nature-filled atrium from before.
Without waiting for any sort of question, I spoke up. "I like this place. Figured it'd be better to sit here than that nothingness."
Loki hummed in reply.
It was quiet for a bit again, and I went back and forth on whether or not to start a conversation with Loki. After all, we were stuck until whatever notice. I clenched my fists and closed my eyes.
"Loki, I-!"
And then suddenly everything exploded.
Aaaaaannd that's the end of Chapter 22! I have less than a week left to pick up my ass and get the last two chapters up before AoU!
As soon as it comes out, EVERYTHING changes! I can feel it!
Please review, and remind me of my deadline!
I CAN DO IT! WOOOOOO GOTTA KEEP MOVING FORWARD!
-DMRA, signing out!