AUTHOR'S NOTE: Dun dun dun dun dun! Are you ready for the return of DOOM? :-o
For those of you who read "Daddy Loki", I am starting to work on a new chapter for it. I can't give you a specific date on when it will be updated, but it will be soon. Also, I am trying to work out a schedule that allows me to update this story a bit more frequently. Hopefully it'll work out.
Enjoy!
Born to be a King
Chapter 14
Dwyvendale.
Capital city and center world of the Five Kingdoms of Verdandi. The largest in both size and splendor. Home to the Dwyvendinians, the Inkeri, and the Moshaati. Descendants of ancient Yggdrasil-based races, they found refuge in the sweltering jungles of this mythical world after their homes were ravaged and destroyed in ancient wars. No record remained of them having ever existed, wiped out of memory and history by the first Asgardian ruler, Odin's grandfather, King Buri. But such a barbaric act was not to conceal the genocide brought upon them, but rather to preserve the few that survived. As ages passed and time erased the histories of these people from the minds of those that inhabited the Nine Realms, these refugees thrived and soon turned the uninhabited regions of the Five Kingdoms of Verdandi into their own home. They owned it now, they ruled over it, and as wars continued to rage in the Nine Realms and beyond, these secluded worlds kept hidden by two nebulas soon became a sanctuary for refugees, both people and creatures alike. The Five Kingdoms became alive, cities were built, tribes installed their domains, families grew, and societies flourished. They all lived in harmony, protecting ancient secrets and great sources of power belonging to their people.
And yet, in all of this, in all the stories of saving and protecting that which others thought lost, one factor was central. A common denominator, without which Verdandi would not have become:
Asgard.
Loki listened intently to King Beyard as he told the old tale of the birth of his kingdom. As he listened, his eyes scanned the throngs of people that filled the banquet hall to its full capacity. Leaders of many different tribes and people, many of them had an Aesir appearance like himself, but he knew that just as he, there was a magic that concealed their true appearance. The Inkeri, however, were not concealed, nor were the Moshaati, a tribe of dwarves from Nidavellir believed to have gone extinct. Inwardly, he scoffed at the irony, wondering if perhaps there was some ancient race of frost giants that lived somewhere in the realms.
"...And what's not to say of the Gastropnir, the great rock giants of Jotunheim that now dwell in the high regions of Perterus?!" King Beyard said triumphantly, smiling widely at the way Loki's brow rose at the revelation.
The entire banquet hall cheered, slamming their tumblers of mead on the table.
"Jotunheim was paradise once, rich with lore and power" King Beyard now continued sadly "were it not for the greed of Thrym's sons, your home planet would now be joining us in celebrating your homecoming"
Loki noticed how the king took Ireena's hand and squeezed it gently as he spoke of Jotunheim's tragic past.
One by one, everyone present rose and approached the king's table where he sat with Loki and Barbara on his left, Ireena, and Stingadr on his right. They all expressed their devotion to the king and their elation upon finally seeing The Promised One for the first time. They all bowed to Loki the same way they did to Beyard, as if welcoming the king's long lost son who had finally come home. Beyard introduced them all to Loki: There was Diarmaid, the Chief Magician, Zelius, a man of gigantic size who was the leader of Perterus, Durrgo, an obscure warrior whose face was covered in a cloak who was the leader of the "Shadow Legions" from Neffarim, Ljósálfr, a female light fairy who was the guardian of Angharad.
As the celebration picked up momentum, Ireena rose from the table. King Beyard seemed unsettled by her sudden departure, whispering that the celebration had yet to reach its peak, but she promised to return. Stingadr watched her go, and Loki subtly motioned Barbara to follow. A while later, she too excused herself.
Stories continued to be told, and Loki listened enraptured to ancient tales of people that up till then he had only heard about. He was fascinated seeing them now in the flesh, narrating with great detail how the wars that ravaged their homes really unfolded. When a dwarf asked Loki how Odin had fallen, he too joined in the story telling and described to the entire banquet hall how Thanos had descended upon Asgard, killing two of the realm's mightiest warriors along with Heimdall, the gatekeeper. Upon hearing Heimdall's name, Stingadr looked up in shock, then with great effort managed to dry the tears that stung his eyes. His beloved nephew had died a warrior's death, as was expected of every Inkeri male to be born.
The banquet hall went dead silent, and then together, they all stood and rose their cups in salute to the fallen Allfather. Upon seeing them, Loki too rose and joined in the salute, then swallowed the lump in his throat along with the mead. These people had no clue that the reason Thanos had attacked Asgard and killed Odin was because of him. Singlehandedly, he had caused the Allfather's demise.
Barbara found Ireena standing on a balcony high above the banquet hall, looking down at the festivities. If Barbara's vision did not fail her and she had judged the angle of Ireena's head along with the direction of her gaze, then the princess was looking down at Loki. Suddenly, Ireena stood upright and looked straight ahead.
"I know you are there, Princess Sigyn"
Barbara chuckled deep in her throat. "By all means, call me Barbara" she said, walking up to her "it's my real name"
"Barbara" Ireena nodded, then the two women stood silent for a few moments. Looking at her from the corner of her eye, Barbara could only think about how beautiful the Verdandian princess was. She had never seen another woman like her. Her pale skin was an alabaster fair, with fine features accentuated by a high forehead and a perfectly chiseled nose. Her long, luxurious black hair framed her flawless face in silky smoky waves. Her eyes were not blue, nor were they green. They unsettled Barbara. It was almost as if she and Loki had the same eyes. The only thing they lacked was the mischief and sparkle of Loki's. Ireena's gaze was serene, and almost naïve...
She was innocent. For some reason, her gaze made Barbara angry.
Little did she know that the woman next to her was having similar thoughts. To Ireena, Barbara was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Her tan skin seemed to have been lovingly kissed by the sun, her face was perfectly shaped, her eyes were a deep earth brown and her cheeks were blushed a rosy pink. Her full, luscious lips seemed to quirk upward at the corners, and her massive head of hair tumbled in perfect long spiral curls that bounced gloriously with her movements. It was plain to see why Loki had fallen madly in love with her.
"You know, seeing you leave the feast and finding you here, anyone may think you are morose" Barbara finally broke the silence.
"Not at all" Ireena replied "I often come here when father holds his festivities. At times, they seem to become just a tad bit overwhelming"
"This one being no differently?" Barbara turned to look at her.
"This one in particular" Ireena returned her gaze.
"Ah, of course. The homecoming of The Promised One"
"Our people have waited for him for far too long. Their clamorous celebration is well deserved"
Barbara raised an eyebrow. "There are many types of people in these kingdoms"
Ireena turned her gaze back to the king's table. "I was born in Jotunheim, just as he was" she declared softly.
Barbara was rendered speechless. She suddenly felt rooted to her spot, and could only look at Ireena stunned.
Of course. Loki and Ireena were...
She could not finish her train of thought as the palace suddenly shook, nearly knocking the two women over the rail of the balcony. Then the entire banquet hall went dead silent as the sound of whirring could be heard outside of the palace.
"He's here" Ireena breathed horrified.
"Who?!" Barbara asked.
"The metal man"
Just then, Victor von Doom's booming voice filled the hall and resonated off the walls.
"King Beyard. Why, my noble King Beyard. I believe you're currently in the possession of the Asgardian scum that crossed your borders only three days ago. Surrender him to me now, or I will ravage your capitol city the same way I leveled the Jotun settlements in Perterus. I give you to the count of ten"
The banquet hall erupted into chaos.
"We will not surrender Prince Loki!" many shouted.
"One..."
"The Promised One will singlehandedly destroy the metal man's forces!" others yelled.
King Beyard slammed his scepter down, silencing all.
"Two..."
"Protect the palace at all costs! We will not surrender Prince Loki to that ravager"
"Three..."
Stingadr and Durrgo moved into action, shouting orders to the soldiers who filed out of the palace by the hundreds to meet the armada of aircraft that surrounded the city. As the army emerged, they were met with heavy fire from above.
"Four..."
The palace continued to shake as Doom continued to fire warning shots from his massive spaceship.
"Prince Loki, will you fight with us?!" Stingadr shouted to him above the chaos.
"I wouldn't miss it for anything else" he said with great delight as his full armor appeared on him.
"Impressive" Stingadr approved, admiring him.
"Five..."
Barbara ran towards the banquet hall where Loki was now searching for her in the fray.
"Six..."
"You must bring down his ships before they make landfall!" Loki said to Barbara the moment she joined him, but then they were almost knocked down when the palace shook once again. Shards of glass rained down as windows and columns shattered. Loki shielded Barbara with his own body from the deadly downpour.
"Seven..."
"Fire at them when I say!" Barbara shouted to Stingadr. The Inkeri leader was taken aback when he saw her eyes suddenly become aflame, then she ran out of the banquet hall.
"Eight..."
"She never ceases to amaze me either" Loki said, patting Stingadr on the shoulder, then they both ran after her.
"Nine..."
Outside, Barbara stood and watched as the ships flew in all directions, firing at the city. Explosions blew everywhere, and the screams of frightened citizens filled the air. She raised her arms and the wind picked up...
"...Ten"
Just then, the ships stopped in midflight. Shots fired froze halfway to their targets, and soldiers stood confused at the sudden phenomena. On the courtyard, a female figure stood with her arms raised toward the skies as the wind blew wildly around her. They turned to look at her and whispers began to be heard as they realized she was the cause of it.
Inside the largest spaceship hovering above the palace, a man hidden behind a metal mask whispered as he felt the power of her presence all around him.
"Barbara..."
She turned her head just slightly and whispered to Loki:
"Tell them to fire"
He motioned to Stingadr, who nodded in understanding.
"LET FLY!" Stingadr shouted to the soldiers. A thousand arrows flew upwards into the night sky, and the ships exploded. Barbara dropped her arms and the destroyed aircrafts fell to the ground in pieces.
Both the assembled soldiers and the millions of people in the city erupted in cheer.
The largest aircraft which remained hovering above the palace whirred toward them and landed gently on the courtyard. Its doors opened and out emerged Victor von Doom.
Barbara stopped breathing. Loki's jaw clenched and he twirled the spear in his hand. King Beyard walked forward and came to stand next to Loki to meet the foe.
"Welcome to the Five Kingdoms of Verdandi" Victor exclaimed triumphantly, then he laughed "oh, please forgive me, king Beyard. I am sure you have already extended your warm welcome to our Asgardian traveler here, but I just had to extend it myself since this will soon become my domain"
"It's been a long time, old friend" Loki said with mocking cordiality "you've come a long way to die"
"It seems we both have" Victor replied, lifting his mask, finally revealing his face.
"This is a game you won't win, but I will thoroughly enjoy watching you lose every step of the way" Loki gave him his most malevolent of leers.
"First to the finish, then?" Victor quipped, offering Loki his hand to seal the deal. Loki didn't return the gesture and Doom shrugged, laughing it off.
His eyes settled on Barbara. For a second, all amusement disappeared and was replaced by something else, something tender. He quickly gathered his bearings and his façade of aloofness was once again in place.
"Our day of battle is about to dawn" he said, motioning to the night sky.
"So it would seem, and I intend to keep my promise" she spat back.
"That's the spirit" he retorted, giving her a wink before turning back to Loki "see you in Angharad. I already have a stone, so one down, five to go. And don't forget I also have the gauntlet, courtesy of your beloved"
"Don't overestimate your advantages, metal man" Loki teased.
As Doom turned to walk away, Loki's hand moved subtly and a robotic leg from a fallen doombot shifted just enough to trip Victor. He went down with a hard SPLAT!, landing unceremoniously on his stomach, eliciting loud ooh's from all the soldiers watching. Doom groaned as he rose to his feet, shaking the dust from his garb.
"Clever boy" he grunted, then forced himself to laugh.
"Your ship awaits, your hiney" Loki mocked. Doom gave him a cutting look, and as he continued to make his way to his ship, his feet continued to trip over fallen limbs and even on his own cape. Barbara shook her head and laughed heartily at the ridiculous sight. Doom finally made it to his ship, where he stumbled clumsily onto it and flew away.
The moment he disappeared, Loki turned to King Beyard, all trace of amusement now gone from his features.
"I will need total command of your forces" he said.
"You not only came to conquer but to steal the Infinity Stones" the king accused.
"Would you rather see them fall now into his hands, or mine? Without me, your forces stand no chance against him"
"You owe me answers" the king said defiantly.
"As do you" Loki replied with the same vehemence.
The king stared deep into Loki's eyes. He couldn't hide it any longer. The time for secrets was past. It was time he knew the truth. The future of the universe hung on the shoulders of the deceitful and devious prince that now stood in front of him.
"Follow me. I will tell you everything" he said, leading Loki back into the palace.
End of Chapter 14
Responses to reviews:
CLTex: Oh yes, Barbara will let the Phoenix rise and it will be because of Ireena. But the reason why she does it, well, it will be a surprise! ;-) Love ya too!
Guest: Thank you! :)
Anon fan: Girl this shit is about to get nasty, and I mean Scandal-like nasty. Hold on to the seat of your pants, you have no idea what's coming! ;-)
DoctorLokiLove: What are your questions, hun, I'd love to read them to see what you have detected in the hints I've given so far. And I am so sorry for what you're going through, I don't know what to say. Family relations can be very complicated. I can see where your brother is coming from but I can also see why his comments may seem hurtful. But you know, potential employers DO check on candidates' personal pages on social media to get an idea of the person's character and personality. Which is why I keep my Facebook page on private so only people I add can see my content. I am a firm believer that a person's personal page should be exactly that... personal. Which is why I don't even have my real name on here or on Tumblr, to prevent unwanted people to link me to content other folks may consider 'unbecoming'. Fanfiction and my Tumblr page are where I can let loose, say whatever I wish to say and post what I want to post without a fallout on my personal life. Yes, the Internet is a fun place to be but it CAN cause you problems in your personal life.
Forbidden Moons: Welcome back, Seraphina! I missed ya darling! How are you? Well, to answer your question, when I came up with the language of the Inkeri I borrowed from Old Norse, Icelandic, Norwegian, Greenlandic, and ancient Maya. I know the last seems completely out of place, but I am Salvadorean and I wanted to pay homage to my roots somehow, so I added some Maya words to the Inkeri tongue and was surprised to see that they didn't interrupt the linguistic flow. And yes, the biggest revelations are yet to come, and they will cause major drama. But don't worry, not in the scale of "Mayhem". Well, maybe a bit, but I promise it won't be for long. I also agree that Loki is deserving of happiness and he will have it in the end. But in the end, it is a Loki story. He can't achieve what he wants without some major drama going down first lol. Best of luck in school, darling!
SuzyP: Hello, and welcome! Thank you so much for your sweet comments, I am so glad you're enjoying my stories! I usually update every two weeks, but like I said in my author's note, I'm trying to find a way to update more often. I hope to receive more comments and reviews from you in the future! :)