AUTHOR'S NOTE: My apologies for my delay in updating but life is really hectic right now. I'm back in school to further my educational degree and it's taking quite a lot of my time. It's hard to balance work, studies, and life. I can't promise that updates will come weekly as I had initially intended but I will try my best since the story has really taken off now and we're entering the thickest part of the plot.
The first major battle of the story is about to take place, so strap along and I hope you enjoy the ride!
Born to be a King
Chapter 18
On the valley facing the Mountain Clouds, the army that numbered fifty thousand was but dark pillars beneath a starlit sky. The Shadow Legions were a terror to behold. Their entire bodies were covered in black cloth and silver armor. On their heads rested spiked helmets and their faces were covered by silver masks whose facial features were contorted into the most gruesome of grimaces. Nothing could be seen through the slits of their eyes or mouths, expect for black holes. The reincarnation of Hel Hounds, they had no soul, only the instinct to kill in the cruelest of ways. Their armors were adorned with charms and talismans of black magic, and they carried all sorts of edge weapons intended to bring the most agonizing and bloodiest of deaths. Their mere sight was downright macabre. Their black capes blew in the wind silently, and they stood perfectly still in their straight lines. Unbreathing. Unfeeling. Unliving. Undead.
It was almost dawn. The faintest trace of red could be seen kissing the top of the hills behind the valley. At the front of the lines stood Loki, facing the Mountain Clouds that looked like dark, looming monsters that beckoned him, laughing at him, daring him to challenge them.
He closed his eyes and listened as the wind picked up slightly, signaling the oncoming dawn. Then he turned and looked once again at the forces he was commanding, smiling within. A far cry from the able and majestic Asgardian army and more terrifying than the Chitauri hordes he had once led, this was an army worthy of him. These were the forces he had once dreamed of leading into glorious battle. Today he had summoned fifty thousand, a very large number in comparison to Doom's army of mechanical warriors, but his goal was to deliver a crippling blow to that wretched human. He thought of how the legions that now stood behind him were but a small fraction of their numbers: Ten million warriors in total. He could conquer the entire universe if he so desired.
Perhaps one day.
"Barbara" he called.
She left the group of realm leaders and walked to her husband.
"The tale of Aldrnarihugr, the fire nymph. Do you remember it?" he asked in a hushed tone, just low enough for her to hear.
"How could I forget?" she whispered back.
"She could tame dragons" he said, turning to look at her in the almost total darkness.
"Could she?" she replied, looking at his silhouette that was beautiful framed by the faint light of the moon.
"In myth she takes many forms" he continued "She lives only once every seven thousand years. Born and reborn, sometimes from the ashes, much like the Phoenix..."
She stared at him for a long time before she spoke again. "Why are you telling me this?" she breathed.
"Because we are about to face the same creatures whose will was bound to Aldrnarihugr's. What will you do when you come face to face with one?"
"Run like Hel in the opposite direction" she chuckled.
He laughed in return, then turned back to look at the Mountain Clouds.
Barbara followed his line of vision. They continued to observe quietly as the darkness began to ebb slowly, revealing the layout of the Mountain Clouds bit by bit, as if they were a most sacred relic. As the sun continued to inch his way over the hills, the realm became alive. There was a soft, distant sound of singing as the nymphs in the river at the bottom of the gorge awoke from their slumber, birds began to lift their voice in salutation to the sun, and distant sound of rumbling was heard high above in the Mountain Clouds, combined with a thundering shrill from somewhere deep below the ground, the unmistakable sound of a fearsome creature stirring. Loki and Barbara looked up in amazement at the gigantic geological features that bobbed weightlessly in the air, connected by massive chains that kept them anchored to the cliffs of the valley around them. They could see the majestic temple atop the tallest one, and were taken aback by how far they would have to hike to reach it.
Suddenly, from the mountains came the sound of howling unlike any Loki and Barbara had ever heard before.
"That's a big wolf" Barbara whispered.
Everyone shrank back when the howling was answered by hundreds of others. Soon, it got closer and closer until finally, a hug mass leaped from the nearest mountain to the cliff and Loki came face to face with the mythical wolf Fenrir.
Barbara stopped breathing. Loki kept his stance. He did not move a muscle when the gigantic canine lowered his front legs and glared down at Loki, snarling and growling. He looked up at him fearlessly, the smallest trace of a smile playing on his lips.
"Why should I fight for you, Promised One?" Fenrir's voice boomed over the valley like a hollow echo.
"Because your king commands it" Loki answered coolly.
"Grrrr... it was the king himself that made me swear my oath. I keep watch over the Mountain Clouds in return for the protection of my brood, and here you come with your demon legions to desecrate it. Future king or not, I will keep my vow. I have no need of your intervention nor your armies to protect the stone"
"Then by all means, see your wolf-lings fall to the guns of the human intruder. He comes for the stone and neither you, your brood, nor the dragons will be enough to stop him"
Just then, the sounds of an awakening realm were replaced by machinery. High above the atmosphere, stars and heavenly bodies were replaced by the silhouettes of ships. Thousands of ships.
"I take it you have a strategy to protect the stone should the invasion come from above" Loki goaded Fenrir, who was looking up at the incoming fleet.
"Grrr... only this once, Asgardian. Only this once!" he roared in Loki's face, then he leaped back into the mountains, howling and signaling his brood to prepare for battle.
"Take your posi..." Loki turned towards Barbara but then he noticed her rooted to her spot, looking down in sheer shock over the edge of the cliff.
"Lo... Lo... Loki..." she stammered. He was astonished when he too looked down into the abyss. The cliff walls were lined with thousands of caves from which fearsome creatures emerged, slithering and climbing up the cliff to the valley.
"Dragons..." he breathed, then he whipped about. "Ljósálfr, now" he signaled the chief elf woman.
She rode off on her white horse to join the hordes of elves assembled on the riverbank at the bottom of the gorge, their bows and arrows aimed and at the ready.
"Ireena" Loki signaled the princess.
She nodded and looked up at the sky. "Mehmet, now!"
A blinding light exploded on the valley, and when it was over, thousands of Shadow spacecraft hovered over the valley, facing the oncoming armada.
The day of battle Loki and Barbara had long awaited for had finally dawned.
"Listen to me" he said, taking her face in his hands and his eyes boring into hers "this is it. This is war, and your first battle. Think only of your swords and their weapons, and nothing else. You strike any and all who stand on your path, your only goal is to still be standing when the last battle cry is heard. Do you understand?"
"Yes" she said.
"You know what to do. Now take your position"
He watched her as she ran a hundred meters from their current position, facing a mountain cloud that was closely connected to the highest one where the temple sat. The Jotun warriors and the Inkeri followed her. Once they were in position, Loki raised his spear and extended it toward the mountains, giving them the signal to advance, and Barbara, Stingadr, and Zelius led the first host across the bridges.
Loki turned toward the remaining warriors, the fifty thousand Shadow Legions assembled on the plain.
"The king's command was clear: The stone is not to fall into enemy hands and no invader is to live past this day. So stand with me and in the name of your king, set forth, and destroy! Kill them all! Show no mercy, and give no quarter!"
The Shadow Legions erupted in cheer, fifty thousand voices that shook the ground beneath.
"Advance!" Loki shouted, and began to run across the bridge. Doom's aircraft now broke through the atmosphere and began its attack, but was immediately engaged by Loki's forces already in the air. Dragons now flew upwards and entered the mountains, shrieking and roaring as they shot out gargantuan bursts of fire at the incoming fleet. Others landed on the mountains and faced the incoming army, but the frost giants at the fore quickly created ice shards that stopped the fiery storm as Loki and the Shadow Legions continued to make their way to the first Mountain Cloud. Upon seeing the frost giants who blocked their attack, the dragons then aimed their onslaught at the Jotun warriors, but by then Barbara, Stingadr and the Inkeri had almost reached the first mountain.
Barbara reached it first and jumped, but as she did, a gigantic wolf leaped from the trees and brought her down. She landed painfully on the rough terrain, rolling until she hit a large rock. She groaned in pain, and then her eyes widened when she saw the enormous she-wolf looking down at her.
"We fight on the same side!" Barbara begged as she reeled back against the rock. The she-wolf snarled loudly, revealing gnashing teeth as big and as sharp as daggers. She barked and gritted her teeth only inches from Barbara's face. Then suddenly, she backed away and disappeared back into the tree line just as Stingadr and his men reached Barbara.
"Lady Barbara! Are you alright?" the Inkeri chief asked, falling to his knees next to her.
She nodded and stood with his help. "We must get to the next bridge" she panted, holding her side where she had landed. She began to follow him to the next set of chain bridges, when she spotted the she-wolf standing on a rock a considerable distance away, looking back at her. When their eyes met, the canine made a motion with her head for Barbara to follow. Stingadr and the Inkeri reached for their weapons, aiming them at the wolf.
"No" Barbara stopped Stingadr "we will follow her"
She led them through a densely wooded area away from the edges where most of the dragon fire and the battle was taking place, thus making their trek across the mountain faster. Thousands of Doombots leaped from the aircrafts and landed on the mountains, engaging the forces on the ground. As the wolf led the way, she howled in hush but very high pitched hoots that were answered in the same manner. Soon, they reached a different set of chain bridges that connected with the nether side of a higher mountain.
"Our pack will lead you to the temple. Hurry, hurry!" the she-wolf instructed, and then she disappeared back into the woods.
Meanwhile, on another area of the mountains, Loki and the Shadow Legions were locked in a battle that was an exercise in skill, balance and evasion. Not only were they fighting their way through the hordes of Doombots that were ceaselessly raining down from the ships, but they were avoiding dragon fire and the debris of downed ships while keeping from falling off the chain bridges into the abyss below. On the mountains, Fenrir and his wolves brought down bots by the hundreds, ripping them apart and opening the way for Loki and the legions.
It was complete and utter chaos.
Loki finally reached the mountain and fought his way to the summit, where Zelius and the Jotun continued to block the fire that kept on coming from the dragons surrounding them.
"There is one more mountain to cross before you reach the highest peak!" Ireena shouted over the fray "we cannot hold them for much longer!"
"You must or we will all be dead men!" Loki shouted back, then he crouched down against a rock as a ship exploded above and crashed only yards from him.
He quickly stood and looked out toward the mountains beyond, and he could see them becoming overrun by doombots. Shit, he thought, Barbara.
"Cross the bridges. Now!" he ordered the warriors.
The bridges were immediately filled by the legions as they made their way higher and higher up the suspended sierra. As soon as Loki crossed over, Fenrir leaped from the rocks, landing in front of him and blocking his way. In his mouth was a writhing doombot. With a growl, his massive, powerful jaws closed, crushing the bot. Then with disdain, he spat the remains and advanced on Loki.
"The magnificent, powerful, mythical Fenrir. Your might is certainly a sight to behold..." Loki said cautiously, taking a step back.
"Spare me your flattery, Asgardian" the wolf growled back "your woman is about to reach the highest mountain. She's being led by the females of my brood. If you wish to reach the temple in time, use the bridges to the East"
Then with that, Fenrir disappeared back into the fray of battle. Loki took one look at the fierce fighting going on around and on top of the summit, then he set off into the greenery as Zelius, Ireena and the Jotun began to make their way across the bridge to the second mountain. Soon, Loki reached the end of the woods where the steep and sharp cliffs of the Eastern face of the mountain connected it to the far side of the highest peak by one single chain. He could see the crowning temple on the summit beyond.
Loki began to cross the narrow chain cautiously yet quickly, keeping a sharp eye out for any sudden dangers. He had almost made it to the other side when the chain rattled violently, nearly knocking him over. He whipped about to face the enemy, and there, standing on the chain bridge, was Victor von Doom.
"Going somewhere?" Victor goaded.
"Oh, how convenient. I was just on my way to claim my prize" Loki replied as Doom pulled a spear from behind him and lunged at Loki.
On the other side of the mountain, Barbara fought her way through a horde of doombots. Stingadr and the Inkeri were also surrounded by hundreds of them. She sliced and hacked as she continued to make her way to the temple. The wolves who had been her guides had now joined in the battle along with the Shadow Legions who had finally reached the mountain. From her position she could see the golden gates of the temple above, and with newfound urgency, continued to fight through.
Finally, she brought down enough bots to clear her way, and she ran the last stretch to the summit. She reached the doors and pushed them open, then as she moved to go inside, the strained sounds of combat somewhere down and to the side caused her to turn her head, and she smiled upon seeing Loki and Doom fighting their way to the top.
She ran inside and followed the tunnels that she knew were there until she reached the small metal door at the entrance to the catacombs deep beneath the temple. Using her swords, she broke the heavy lock and opened the door, then taking a torch from the wall, entered the musky and dark caverns. Not stopping to even consider the creepiness of the place and paying no attention to the carvings on the wall that foretold a great doom to whomever disturbed the peace of the artifacts within, she walked on quickly. Empty chambers lined the stone walls, and she searched each of them until she noticed a dim light coming from the last chamber at the end of the corridor. She ran to it, and came face to face with one of the objects that up to that point she had only read about:
The Reality Gem. One of the six Infinity Stones of Ultimate Power.
She observed it, bobbing weightlessly in its compressed chamber atop a stone pillar. It shined brightly with hues of orange and gold, giving off small sparks that flashed around the compressed chamber and surrounded the stone. She stood there staring at it, admiring it, coveting it. It was there, ripe for the taking. So beautiful... so desirable... so... so... POWERFUL...
"Lady Barbara" the voice behind her snapped her out of her daze. She turned to see Ireena standing there with her.
"You must act quickly" the princess reminded her.
Barbara shook her head, wondering just what had come over her. She reached behind her into her armor and retrieved the small case given to Loki by Diarmaid. Using the handle of her sword, she shattered the force field that kept the gem locked within, and snapped the two flaps of the case around it. Immediately, the case sealed shut and locked, trapping the stone inside.
Barbara and Ireena breathed a sigh of relief.
"Come, we must go" Ireena said as she began to lead the way back to the temple.
When they emerged, they stopped in their tracks upon seeing Loki and Doom fight their way through one of the corridors on the opposite wing of the temple. If Doom saw them, their plan would be for naught. They slithered through another corridor and exited.
"You will not win, Asgardian" Doom roared as he clashed his spear with Loki's.
Loki laughed in return, having caught a glimpse of the two women slipping out of the palace. Barbara had the stone.
"You will never make it to the stone" Loki growled.
With a grunt, Doom quickly maneuvered and shoved Loki back, then he called for his doombots to swarm the temple. Immediately, it was overrun by his miscreants as the two women quickly descended the mountain through the thick vegetation to the chain bridges below. Loki quickly recovered and resumed the fight, this time fighting with more urgency. It was only a matter of time before Doom's bots realized that the stone was gone.
Above, the air battle was almost over as the last of Doom's ships fell to the might of the aircraft of the Shadow Legions. Dragons fell to the arrows of the elves beneath, but the massive beasts were unharmed. The arrowheads had been replaced with darts smeared with a potion that would only subdue the beasts into a deep sleep. Barbara and Ireena reached the bottom and stopped when a dragon suddenly flew down and landed on the bridge.
The two women gasped upon seeing the fearsome reptile crawl over to them, ready to strike. Its mouth opened, ready to deliver a burst of flame. Out of sheer instinct, Barbara summoned her powers to defend herself, but alas, the magic of the mountains kept them at bay. Her eyes burned a bright gold as she looked up at the monstrous beast, and braced herself for impact as Ireena formed an ice shard in her hand...
Then the monster stopped. The burst of flame died in his throat, the frills around his neck lowered, and his wings fell to his sides. He stared at Barbara with wide eyes, then he whined like a chastised dog, retreating and fighting against an unseen force. He shrieked and roared loudly in a last, desperate attempt to overcome the force that tried to subdue him, then he lowered his neck, bringing his head at Barbara's level. His own fiery eyes burned into her own, but his gaze lowered in total submission.
Barbara could only stare stupefied, then with a trembling hand, she reached out and ran her fingers over the top of the dragon's nose. She took in the scaly, rubbery texture of its skin, the heat that emanated from its body. The beast growled deep within its throat, a rattling sound that sounded almost like a purr.
"So beautiful... and so gentle" Barbara whispered as the beast cooed in delight at her touch.
"Impossible" Ireena breathed "dragons cannot be tamed"
Barbara looked back at Ireena with a smile as she ran her hand down his neck, then she jumped onto his back.
"Now, should we go?" Barbara asked, extending her hand out towards her. Cautiously, Ireena took it and jumped on behind her, and then the women screamed when the dragon plunged off the bridge and into the abyss. The dragon flew straight down and then upwards again, soaring into the sky. Barbara and Ireena continued to cry out in terror, but then the dragon hovered in midair, his wings flapping and he turned his head to look back at Barbara. She could almost see amusement written in his reptilian irises.
Then, she noticed the battle that was still raging at the temple, and an idea formed in her mind. With a tap to the dragon's shoulder, she directed it back in the direction of the highest Mountain Cloud.
On the roof, Doom let out a bellow of sheer, blinding anger as he lay sprawled on the floor. The stone was gone. His ships had been destroyed and his doombots decimated. Loki stood above him, pointing the tip of his spear at his neck and laughing at his defeat.
"Go ahead" Doom taunted "do it"
Loki raised the spear over his head...
...then brought it down to his side.
"Not today, human. Our game is not yet over. But next time, make it a challenge for me, will you? This was way too easy"
Loki walked away toward the aircraft that was landing on the roof, when Doom's voice stopped him.
"A challenge, you say? What comes next will not be a challenge, Asgardian, it will be my reward. I told you, this is a fight you won't win. I never lose"
Loki glared at Doom, the meaning in his words not failing him. Then the sound of roaring gathered his attention.
The two men turned toward the sound, and all those assembled on the mountain witnessed the magnificent sight of a dragon circling the temple. On his back was Barbara, and behind her was Ireena.
Barbara pulled out the case containing the stone and held it aloft, eliciting a cry of victory from the warriors.
They had won.
Loki's face broke into a wide smile and he turned back towards Doom.
"My little tamer of dragons, and she's all mine" he purred "you talk of rewards, Doom. Well, my reward for this victory will be rich indeed, for tonight I celebrate locked between her thighs"
He let out the most wicked of laughs and boarded the aircraft, leaving a flustered and enraged Doom behind.
Dragons continued to fly around the mountains, their shrieks mixing with the howling of Fenrir's brood and the cheering of the legions. Below, Ljósálfr and the light fairies could only watch.
Angharad had never seen such a spectacle.
On the valley, the last of the warriors finally assembled. Fenrir leaped from the chain bridge and joined the victorious hosts. Durrgo's aircraft touched down and Loki emerged just as the dragon carrying Barbara also landed.
"My fire nymph" he admired as he watched Barbara dismount the fierce creature.
"It was amazing, you should have seen it!" she said as she ran toward her husband and threw her arms around his neck.
Ireena watched the two lovers reunite, and saw Barbara hand Loki the case containing the stone. She did not notice Stingadr coming to stand next to her.
"It was a great victory, my princess" he said, looking down lovingly at her but she did not tear her eyes from Loki.
"Yes, it was. He fought so bravely..." she whispered.
Fenrir approached Loki and bowed his head to him.
"It was an honor fighting beside you, Promised One. But only this once" he growled.
Loki nodded. "Only this once"
He watched as the mythical wolf of old sprinted to the chain bridges, leaped and disappeared into the mountains. The dragon also retreated, flying down into the precipice, followed by the rest of his kind.
The magical kingdom was once again silent.
Then the skies opened and the blinding light of the Ether Road broke through, leaving the plain empty.
End of Chapter 18
Responses to reviews:
westernfemme: Hello, and welcome to the Lokara journey! Thank you so much for your compliments and your constructive comments. I tip my hat off to you for being so effective at balancing both a career and a family. It's not just any woman who can raise two children on her own while still advancing herself, and you have my respect. I'm glad you've enjoyed the story from the beginning, and that you appreciate my effort at telling a multi-part story. I aim to write Barbara and Loki as real, and to a certain extent, human as possible. After all, that's what makes his character in the films so alluring. I really like your comparison of Barbara to the Hulk, she is really explosive when she feels slighted, a trait that she has unfortunately inherited from me lol. While Loki is silently cunning and vindictive, Barbara is explosive and temperamental. May I ask, which were the small continuity issues you encountered? I ask because I really wish to know how to make the story better or to use as future reference. Also, if I can go back and tweak it just a bit to fix it, I would want to know ;) Thank you so much for your review, it means a lot, especially considering that you took time out of your very busy schedule to do so! :)
Hiddles-Skittles: Muahahahahhahahahha *in my evil Loki laugh voice* all in due time, my dear, all in due time ;) lol I've been ok, like I said at the beginning life has just been pretty busy. Thank for your worrying over me hun, that's very sweet! By the way, I absolutely ADORED the new fanart you sent me. Oh my god, I thought the poster you made for BTBAK was the best but now you've really outdone yourself. You're the best, Diana! Luv ya girlie!
Anon fan: Oh my god LMAO. God I nearly pissed myself reading that. Thanks girl! ;)
DoctorLokiLove: Hi 'Becca! Well, you know me, a little bit of drama and intrigue and scandal before it ends all sweetly lol. King Beyard is biting off more than he can chew, and pretty soon it's going to come back and bite him back in the ass. Lol. How are you doing, hun?
jjocasta: Hello again! You say you love drama and miscommunication? Well darling, you will soon have it in spades lol. The upcoming chapter will change the entire dynamic of the story, and everything will be turned upside down. As for the movies, did you get news of the lineup Marvel revealed and the news that Loki will be involved in Avengers Infinity War? God I screamed so loud I woke the entire neighborhood lol. It's obvious that he's had dealings with The Collector from Guardians of the Galaxy, and it's also obvious that Gamora and Nebula know of him since they're Thanos' daughters, and that he is in charge of bringing the Aether, the Tesseract and the Mind Gem (from his scepter) over to Thanos, but instead he sent it to The Collector. I'm really curious to see what happens since in the comics Tivan has had dealings with Thanos as well. God, is it 2017 already?! Anyway, just like you, I can still read French and understand a good deal of it, but I've forgotten how to speak it. I think the only thing I can do is order a basic breakfast in Francais lol "Puis-je se il vous plait avoir un cafe au lait, une omelette avec fromage et some bacon?" God that was terrible LOL. To answer your question on the Inkeri language in the story, it is pronounced phonetically. I hear it in my head as a very thick accent with many some clicks thrown in there for good measure. Thank you so much for your review hun, and I hope to talk to you again soon. Take care! :)
CLTex: Oh, you think you know what Doom wants? Ehehehehhehe... and just what do you think it is? I think you know what it is, but I assure you, the way it may happen will surprise you ;) Thank you Christi! Love ya bunches!
Guest: Thank you, thank you!