Coterie

By: Shadow Chaser

Disclaimer:

All Marvel characters do not belong to me, they belong to Marvel Entertainment and Marvel Comics. Liberties were taken with the Norse myths.

Story:

Chapter 16

The guard straightened at the sight of Thor walking with a determined pace towards the dungeons. "Sire," he greeted with a curt nod of his head and received an equally curt one in return.

"I wish to speak to the Lady Hel," Thor said and the guard nodded before allowing him to pass through the wards.

"As you wish sire," the guard replied before Thor stepped through, familiar red cloak billowing behind him. He resumed his watch, barely even wondering what the Crown Prince of Asgard wanted with the Queen of Helheim and traitor to the House of Odin. Perhaps it was to gloat, as the Crown Prince was apt to do, though in recent memory, seemed to have less of an inclination for it. Nonetheless, it was must have been a great battle on Midgard and the guard hoped to hear it when his shift was finished and he was at the local tavern.

Loki did not glance back as walked down the steps leading into the dungeons and turned several corners and halls. It was not customary for Thor to look back, to espy if he had been discovered. The fact that the guard had let him through without any problems meant that Thor was allowed down in the dungeons to talk to Hel. He figured if he had gone down instead in his own skin, the Allfather would have been swiftly notified and he detained or turned away. Suspicion was still cast upon him due to his previous association with the coterie, no matter what reassurances or false pretenses had been assured. He knew that was as much of a falsehood as the truth he had spoken.

Still, if the Court and secretly the Allfather believed him to be associated with the coterie now – he had no doubts now that Jor's punishment was definitely a warning to him – he might as well exploit it.

It was so easy to impersonate Thor; his brother's cultivated image of strength and of glory a boon to those of Asgard. But at the same time Loki could not help but feel the long buried bitterness, the one that spoke to Thor on the mountaintop of Midgard of living in the shadow, in the shade of his glory. Barely anything had changed in the year since he had attacked Midgard, but he would have liked to have thought that he was more fully aware of how skewed the perspective was, more aware, and thus more inclined to sway the Court.

This latest business with the remnants of the coterie was only a stumble in the path he was planning to carve, but he would recover. At the same time, he knew there was advantages to take, warning or no warning.

He found the cell Hel had been placed into easily enough, following the trail of unique magicks she exuded and stopped, drawing his cloak closer to himself. A discreet searching tendril told him that his illusion in his chambers was holding, even though he did not have time to check his tessellation before using it once more.

"Hello my Prince," Hel was standing in the bare cell with her dainty hands folded in front of her. In the matter of mere hours, she had looked more half-alive and half-dead than how she had presented herself in the throne room and Loki's lips twitched in a smile. He also noted that she had addressed him by his title instead of how she had always addressed Thor by his title. The fact that she saw right through his illusion, even though he knew it was perfect spoke to how much she had remembered the days of the coterie. But then again, her magicks were always unique and there could have been something in them to make her see past falsehoods and all sorts of things.

Hel had been the most reluctant to talk about her magicks, even when they were all learning from Lady Death. Loki understood why, especially as the eldest of the three, her position was at best, tenuous. At worst, it was anathema. She was also the voice of reason, if her words were to be believed that she had tried to dissuade the others from going through with their initial plan to kill the royal family of Asgard. Loki believed otherwise – that she was as apathetic and indifferent as her mother.

"It was interesting to see what Helblindi's gift was," he said quietly, masking his conversation with another small illusion spell in case Heimdall was watching. It would seem that Thor would be conversational, gloating, not the conversation he was having at the moment.

"I see you are pleased with it," Hel had no such powers, trapped in the cell, suppressed of most of her magicks, but then again, Loki could see the mirth hidden behind her glasses, her focuser shining against the light of the cell. "It is a curious gift, though, of weaponry that he would make specifically for you."

"Your implications fall short," he shrugged. He knew what Hel was getting at – that Helblindi was currying favor with him, by showering him with gifts like an absent brother that he had never known growing up. He did not care for Helblindi's attempts, but also had the sense that his long-lost Jotun-brother would see the same. It was convenient for him, perhaps as a token of thanks for getting rid of Byliestr and paving his way to the throne.

"And your assumptions are still naïve," she countered with the barest hint of a smile on her lips. To Loki, it was the equivalent of a boisterous laugh from her. Hel had years, centuries, if not a millenia or several on his age, but he was always able to read her from the beginning. He did not know if she had deliberately allowed it, knowing from the days of the coterie that she was considered emotionless. Her sisters were the only ones to get reactions out of her, but even then, it had been very, very subdued and almost non-existent.

"Why?" he finally asked after a few minutes of silence. It was not a question to what she had said, but rather, the familiar lilt of conversations underneath others.

"Because you do not yet understand," she replied, tilting her head a little, "or rather, you do understand, but do not want to embrace it. Are you willing to sacrifice what you hold most dear?"

"Not my life," he replied, frowning. It was not that he knew what Helblindi, even Thor had been trying to show him, it was that he detested it. They did not understand, nor would they ever-

"You never would give it up, yet you claim not to understand," she smoothed an absent wrinkle from the dress of the howling damned before adjusting her glasses. "It was why they were jealous, why they struck."

"Jealousy? How unbecoming of them-"

Hel flashed him a full smile and Loki nearly recoiled at the teeth in them, the predatory look, of how death would come for him, all neatly packaged into that brief smile. The words he had been saying faltered in wake of the fact that Hel had shown a full emotion, even though it stabbed fear into him. It was unlike the fear he had when Thanos used, abused, the geas, but rather, this was a fear that he had felt in the waning moments before Death had embraced him, but resolute had determined to fight Thanos in the Tesseract prison.

"I see now why my mother was taken with you," Hel's face looked solemn, emotionless once more, but her voice was wry, "why she would teach a lost foundling magister."

Loki frowned. "Pray tell why?" he snarled, a little annoyed at her.

"You would wrought destruction for thousands of lifetimes and yet never give up what you hold most dear. You teeter at the edges, but forge your path with ideals that are naïve and unwanted. Your ideals change, your actions change, but yet you never give up what you hold most dear."

"Not my life," he echoed again and she inclined her head once.

"Not your life," she confirmed, "perhaps it was jealousy, perhaps a mad grab for power, such emotions that make them human. You are consumed by the same wants and needs, yet you have risen above it all."

"Then why am I not king?"

"Because you will never give up what you hold most dear," she said again, "and it is for that, that is the why. The question you seek, the answer you seek."

Loki stared at her for a long moment, a puzzling disquiet filling him as he began to realize what she was talking about. It disturbed him, the fact that he was starting to put the pieces together. His life was not what he valued the most and she would not give him the answer to break Thanos' geas upon him if he did not know. But at the same time, he did not want to voice what she was implying – afraid that if it was true, then his whole world would crumble down around him. His life would have been a lie, his actions since the coronation, a lie; everything before that, a lie. It could not be true, because he had tried his damnest, Nornforsaken time to push it away – to deny it.

But Hel always spoke the truth, even in the riddling conversation they always had. She could lie, he had seen that, but she rarely did, preferring to hide the truth in the layers of conversations she had with others.

He wet his lips, finding them suddenly dry and cleared his throat, "...And if I give it up?"

The hint of the smile appeared on her lips once more, "Then I would have been wrong about you, my Prince. It is why I have loved you since you have come to my mother's teachings."

Loki's lips twitched as he shook his head, "You cannot love."

Hel tilted her head, "Astute. But is it not the thought that counts?"

"For you, no," he countered, fully aware that she had sensed his disquiet about what she had said before and was turning the conversation elsewhere. However, he also knew that she would layer it into her words now as she was wont to do.

"Fenrir loved you," she said and Loki felt a muscle twitch in his fingers. He could still hear the pride in the assassin's voice at how he had been outsmarted, that if he had to die, it was the best death he could have been given. He would have liked to think Fenrir was incapable of love and the two of them had lusted after each other instead, but what did one truly know about love? It was the same with Sigyn, lust or love, it was-

"Fenrir is dead," he refused to look at her.

"Was it a mercy kill then?"

"It was revenge," he countered, "stupidity of my own doing for keeping them alive in the first place."

"What about Jormungandr?"

"What about him?"

"Should he not have died? Should you have slain me as well?"

"Your mother would be annoyed-"

"You slew Angrboda, mortally wounded Sigyn. Mother was not annoyed," Hel countered and Loki glared at her.

"They were the spares," he spat out viciously.

"Just like you," her smile grew a little, but there was no teeth in them and Loki sucked in a quick breath, angry at how easily she had goaded him. "They would have easily gotten rid of the heir, the ruler and installed themselves, yet you hesitate. You have always hesitated." He knew that she was talking about not only his predicament, but also her own. The Queen of Helheim, there were always those who wanted to rule over the realm of the dead.

"I..." he shook his head before taking a step closer to the golden barrier that separated the two of them. He glared at her, the emotions still raw from his fight with Thor, from all but destroying his chambers, "What do you wish Hel? Do you wish me to give what is most precious to me? Do you wish that? Do you wish me to apologize for killing your sisters? For destroying the coterie? Do you wish for me to kneel before you and swear fealty?! For a geas contract to be negotiated for your escape?!"

Hel only stared at him, the smile on her face dropping as she resumed her expressionless look, "My wishes are inconsequential, my Prince."

"Nothing you offer is without consequence," he snapped back.

"Then I offer a warning," she took a step forward until they were nearly nose-to-nose, the crackling golden barrier the only thing separating them, "to give up what is most precious will save you, but it will also doom you."

He swallowed thickly, trying to tamp down on the surge of emotions that he felt with that statement. Contrary to the wordplay they had always engaged in, he knew that her words held weight, consequences, and warnings that one did not needlessly ignore. Those that did always suffered the most brutal of consequences. And judging by what she had been implying the whole time, he felt the myriad of emotions swirling within him.

He forced himself to breathe evenly, as he held up a hand against the barrier, his palm tingling with the flow of magicks. "Then I offer a gift for the gift given," he weaved the subtle magicks within the barrier, binding them to the ancient magicks that powered the forcefield separating the two of them. "I also offer a warning to the warning given," he continued as he lowered his hand, his initial intent finished, "Heed Odin's commands, and you will have his protection."

He stepped back and saw her nod once, understanding the meaning behind his words. "After all this time, you still show sentiment?" she asked.

"Practicality," he replied before turning away and forcing himself to walk back up to the dungeon's entrance. It was a risk to trust her to put the magick to good use, but at the same time, he knew that she would not compromise what had happened – not after everything.

Leaving the dungeons, he drew his cloak closer to him, masking the illusion of Thor's visage with a grim look before slowly melting into the shadows and returning to his room. There was a feast to prepare for.

Despite what had happened only hours ago after Jormungandr and Hel's sentencing, Thor could not help but feel a sense of pride as he sat near the head of the feasting table. Every single one of his friends, including the Lady Pepper and Jane had discarded the garbs of Asgard and had worn the clothing of Midgardians. He knew it was in protest of what they had deemed to be beyond the realm of punishment for Jormungandr and for Hel. But he also knew that his friends were trying to show their strength, that they were warriors of their own and while willing to trade and negotiate with Asgard, they should not be considered the backwater realm others had long thought them to be.

He had shown his support, by dressing in a more casual version of his armor to the feast. Normally, he would have had time to change into the leathers that denoted the end of a battle and peace once more. The whispers of those at the feast seemed to indicate that they approved for the most part, but he also knew that there were those in the Court who still had their reservations.

Still, even with the pride, he could tell that his friends were still feeling ill at ease with what had happened. Dr. Banner was the most apparent, picking at his food while sitting in between Tony Stark and Captain Rogers. The latter of the two was describing to several down the table a tale that made his face animated, but Thor saw the slight pinched way he was talking – as if he was used to hiding his emotions behind a facade. It was eerily similar to the expression Loki wore from time to time, and Thor turned his gaze elsewhere.

Captain Rogers was also adding bits to the story, but his expression was a little more overt, Thor knowing from experience that the Captain was incapable of lying or even shading the truth. Director Fury sat next to Rogers, fielding questions from some of the dignitaries from other realms that had come to witness Midgard's treatise. The Lady Pepper sat across from Stark was helping the Director answer questions though she looked like she had practice masking her true emotions. He supposed it was because she was the leader of Stark's company. The SHIELD Agents Barton, Coulson, and Lady Romanoff all sat next to each other, mostly quiet though occasionally helping Stark with his tale.

"...the scientific concepts are rudimentary, does that mean you're saying we're not capable of figuring out how an Einstein-Rosen bridge works?" he turned his attention to Jane who sat to his right as she argued with Loki who sat directly across from him. The Allfather and Alllmother were to his left respectively, sitting at the head of the feasting table.

"Oh, your kind may be capable of such basics," Loki replied, his expression was calm and collected. There was no sign, not even a single hint of the shouting match they had with each other a couple of hours earlier and Thor grimaced a little. It was not that he wanted to apologize, but that he could feel Loki closing off again, guarding himself against anything and everything that may hurt him. The promise that he would be there for him was slowly crumbling and Thor knew that there was nothing he could do to dissuade that, not after the hurt they had both inflicted upon one another.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jane looked annoyed and Thor knew that there would have been a time when he would have asked Loki to stop needling her, or had interfered in some fashion.

But now he realized that she too was trying, in her own way, to tamp down on the barely-held-there anger that lingered in wake of what had happened. He was not blind to how tense she was, this close to the Allfather, and knew that she was blaming Odin for what had happened. It was all he could do to question the punishment of stripping Jormungandr of his magicks, to demand an explanation. The fact that Loki had felt it, if his tessellation comment really was true – and he had no doubts because he had seen what it had been used for twice – had made him all the more aware of the barbarism of such a punishment. His brother had suffered as Jormungandr had suffered, was that not enough? Loki had not released the coterie, he was sure now, had nothing to do with their actions and yet, the Allfather had sought punishment, had forced him to watch.

"...capabilities are far from the understanding of such magicks," Thor heard his brother say as Jane looked skeptical at his answer before opening her mouth again to counter what he said.

But the next words that came out was not a counter as her gaze suddenly shot to the table, "Is...that...a snake?"

Thor looked to where she was staring at and saw that it was a snake with Jormungandr's pattern- no, it was Jormungandr who was slithering amongst the plates before settling next to a piece of dropped food and swallowed it whole as if it was nothing.

"Brother..." he looked up at Loki who seemed oblivious to the fact that Jormungandr was curling himself next to the mug of mead and saw that his brother's eyes were chipped with dark mirth. He shot a quick glance at the Allfather and saw that he was not staring at the table, but listening to the tale that was being told by Stark further down. However, the Allmother was shaking her head a little, having seen what he had seen.

"Loki...why?" their mother whispered.

"Whatever do you mean?" the sheer amount of innocence in Loki's tone did not fool Thor as he stared at his brother who returned his gaze with a half-churlish smile that belied the hidden anger in his eyes. He heard Jane sigh before rubbing her eyes and unceremoniously stabbing a piece of food and eating it. The fact that she seemed to accept whatever was happening with ease did not make him feel at-ease.

Frigga looked like she was about to say something before a guard hurried in, making Stark falter in his story, before being waved by the Allfather to continue as the guard stopped by his side. He glanced at Stark to see him continue talking, but more than one occasion, look back at the head of the table. Many of the others also were looking this way, but it was Sif and the others who tried to bring their attention back to the tale by asking pointed questions.

It was common for the Allfather to be interrupted during feasts at times, but this one in particular seemed to carry more weight and Thor had no doubts as to the fact that it was due to the treatise with the Midgardians. He could not hear what the guard was saying, even though he was next to him, but saw the Allfather nod several times before standing up, acknowledging everyone with the barest inclination of his head before he left.

"Tell us about the great battle with the fiendish serpent Jormungandr!" one of the courtiers shouted down the table and for a moment Stark faltered, glancing down the table at him, before Faendral jumped in, elbowing Hogun and generally making a ruckus regarding the battle. Normally Thor would have recounted the tale, since it was he, Hogun, and Agent Barton who had fought Jormungandr before he surrendered to them, but at the moment, he was glad for his friend's interference.

He heard the courtiers laugh at something Faendral said, Hogun grinning a little and saw Sif smiling, shooting him a concerned look to which he smiled back at to reassure her. Her silent unspoken question along with the raising of an eyebrow told him that she was not convinced, but would leave the matter tabled for now.

"You should not have brought Jormungandr here, brother," he muttered quietly, turning his attention back to Loki who was eating silently.

"Should not a living familiar be fed?" his brother countered and Thor could hear the anger still in his tone.

"Loki-"

Frigga did not finish whatever she was about to say as they were interrupted once more with the flap of wings and Thor looked up to see both Huugin and Muugin flying towards them, Huugin landing on his shoulder while Muugin perched on Loki's. He met his brother's gaze, wondering why they were being summoned and if he had anything to do with it – but Loki's eyes showed nothing, just a guileless question, maybe even a hint of concern. He did not believe it for one second, but humored Loki and stood up, his chair scraping a little across the marbled floor.

"Pardon my absence, Allmother," he said politely as the feasting table fell silent at his sudden movement.

"As well as mine," Loki had gotten up too, his expression giving no hint as to how he was feeling. For all everyone knew, he was only being as polite as possible, but Thor could see that his friends were all staring at Loki, gauging him, wondering what was happening. The possibility that something did happen that was beyond what had happened today occurred to Thor, but he pushed that thought out of his mind. Odin did not needlessly summon his sons, especially from a feast this important.

"You have my pardon," Frigga looked worried, but masked it with a serene smile before reaching over and plucked Jormungandr from where he had been attempting to eat more food that had fallen off of Loki's plate. "I shall keep our unexpected guest entertained."

"Mother," there was the flash of a mirthless smile that was instantly gone from his brother's face as he turned and walked out of the hall. Thor followed, deliberately leaving Mjolnir on his seat for everyone to see. He felt Huugin shift on his shoulder and out of the corner of his eye, saw the raven staring back at where Frigga was holding Jormungandr. He only belatedly realized that the raven actually wanted to eat Jormungandr and shook his head.

"That is a person in there," he muttered to the raven who only cawed and cackled a bit, as if he was laughing.

There was a caw from Muugin perched on Loki's shoulder, that sounded like a harsh reprimand in Thor's opinion as he followed his brother out of the hall. A squawk nearly blasted Thor's ear and to him, Huugin sounded annoyed before flapping his wings and flew from his shoulder to where the Allfather's hand was outstretched. The two ravens landed, Huugin digging his beak into Muugin's wing in harsh affection as if apologizing.

He shook his head inwardly, the ravens were a mystery to him, but that was not his concern as he noted Heimdall standing near the Allfather, his golden eyes seemingly boring into him.

"Heimdall," he greeted politely as he and Loki stopped in front of the two of them.

"Prince Thor," the gatekeeper returned with equal politeness before inclining his head in acknowledgment to Loki's presence.

"Hel has escaped the prisons," the Allfather started without preamble and Thor immediately repressed the urge to flick a look at Loki. It had to be his brother who had freed Hel, he knew it. There would have been a time when he would have looked at Loki and condemn him for freeing a prisoner, but Thor held back. There was no proof other than what the Allfather said. Loki may not have been involved – even though his instinct told him that his brother had a hand in the escape.

"She is back in her realm, under a watchful gaze," the Allfather continued, his tone mild, searching.

"And this is of a concern...?" Loki spoke up, bringing the Allfather and Heimdall's gaze upon him before the barest hint of a smile appeared on his lips.

"It is not," the Allfather said, "she is following the punishment given."

"Then the punishment is satisfactory," Thor blurted out, confused at what the Allfather was doing.

"It is," the Allfather looked at him and so deep was his gaze that Thor thought he could see straight through him. "Thor, did you per chance, visit Lady Hel in the dungeons after her sentencing?"

In that very moment, Thor knew what had happened. He did not have to look at Loki who, for all intents and purposes, looked so calm and collected, to see the deeply hidden anger, the rage, the pride, the stubbornness, everything he knew about his brother – and know that Loki was the one who had freed Hel. After everything, after denying up and down the Norns that he had nothing to do with the coterie, with their escape, he had freed Hel.

And he understood why.

And in that understanding, he realized that this was an opportunity for him – to ensure that his brother knew that they would stand together in face of whatever came for him; that he was not alone in his fight against Thanos, against the enemies that would wish him harm.

"Yes, I did," he replied steadily, keeping a firm grasp on his emotions and smiled inwardly at the slight start of surprise from Loki. Yes brother, I can lie as well as you. I would lie to protect you.

"Then there is nothing more to say," the Allfather seemed satisfied with his answer, "you may return to the feast."

Thor nodded once before heading back in. It was not the end, but it was definitely a start.

Loki inclined his head at the Allfather's command and turned to follow Thor, but only took a few steps before Odin called his name softly.

"Loki."

"Yes?" he turned his head back to see the Allfather staring at him with an unreadable look.

"This is a dangerous game you play, my son," Odin said softly.

Loki only let the barest hint of a smile appear on his lips, "But it is the only way to play."

He turned back around and saw Thor waiting a few paces ahead. The fact that his brother had lied, for him, had startled him, but at the same time he understood the gesture and took the olive branch for what it was. Thor fell in step beside him as the two of them headed back into the feast. There was once a time he would have followed behind him, but now they walked beside each other – the Trickster God and the Thunder God.

~END~

Author's Final Notes – 4/28/14:

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, kudos, alerted this fic – I love you all! You make me a very happy author. So ends the second story of the Trickster Universe. If you have not already, please move all bookmarks/alerts to Frozen in Time which is chronologically the next story in this series. It is Avengers-centric, with no Loki in it, but the plot is very relevant to setting up the next story afterwards: tentatively titled The Trickster: Ragnarok. A prequel to the coterie will be written – please keep an eye out for it (more than likely to be written after I finish Frozen in Time).

I would like to thank the following reviewers: Enchantress10, Double-Gemini, Shroud of Twilight, SailingFXGold, Ara Goddess of the Broken, Raychaell Dionzeros, Feedom2READ, RollingUpHigh, angelofxmine, virginger, (Guest reviewer who has no log in that can't reply to, but you're awesome), Austin and Ally Go 1 Direction, Rabytte, GuessWho, TilAllAreOne, rawr_balrog, and tisifone21.

A big thank you to my beta reader Legume Shadow (who also fuels the cute twisted head!canon about snake!Jormungandr).

I would also like to thank those who have just discovered this story or have just finished reading it. Loki's journey is far from done and I hope to see you in my next story!